By Jimmy Vielkind 

Republicans in the state Senate, their ranks reduced by almost a third after electoral losses, say their focus will shift to speaking out against Democratic priorities that are teed up for consideration in the new year.

"I'm scared to death about what's coming," Sen. John Flanagan, a Republican from Long Island, said after a Friday meeting at the Capitol. "Now they have been given the mantle of governing, I will match my ability to articulate positions with anybody. We're ready to go right at it."

Mr. Flanagan, 57 years old, warned that Democratic legislators wouldn't renew the 2% cap on property tax increases and said charter schools were "going to get blown out of the water." Democrats would push for a system of single-payer health care and allow undocumented immigrants to apply for driver's licenses, he said.

Democrats, who are poised to win eight seats in the state's upper chamber and take full control of New York's government next year, say they will prioritize strengthening abortion rights, additional gun-control bills and reforms to voting and campaign-finance laws.

Mr. Flanagan took control of the Republican conference in 2015, and was reappointed leader during a closed-door vote on Friday. Sen. Cathy Young, of western New york's Olean, challenged Mr. Flanagan, saying it was time for a change after "devastating" electoral losses. She had chaired the chamber's finance committee and oversaw its political operation.

Five incumbent Republican senators were defeated by Democrats, and the party also won open seats in the Hudson Valley and on Long Island. Mr. Flanagan's Long Island base shrunk from seven senators to three, including himself. There will be 23 Republicans in the 63-seat chamber in January.

The vote was 14 to 9 in favor of Mr. Flanagan, according to Sen. Jim Tedisco of suburban Schenectady. He supported Ms. Young.

"Nineteen elected senators were voted by upstate New York," Mr. Tedisco said. "I think the constituents expected us to respect their decision and tell them yes, we can find somebody in upstate New York who's competent enough to be the leader of the New York state Senate."

Ms. Young said it was unclear if she would maintain her leadership position; Mr. Flanagan said no decisions had been made about who would lead various legislative committees or serve as the conference's floor leader. The current floor leader, Sen. John DeFrancisco of Syracuse, is retiring. Mr. Flanagan promised to travel to all areas of the state -- as he did when he bested Mr. DeFrancisco in a 2015 leadership contest.

Mr. Flanagan's critics also say he was too close to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, and allowed votes on items like an increase in the minimum wage to $15 that small business groups opposed. Mr. Flanagan also maintained an alliance with a now-defunct breakaway group of Democrats, the Independent Democratic Conference, that dragged him leftward but gave a critical buttress in an increasingly blue state.

Six of the eight former IDC senators were defeated in Democratic primaries.

Write to Jimmy Vielkind at Jimmy.Vielkind@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 18, 2018 09:14 ET (14:14 GMT)