 Lander was first elected to office on the Democratic Party and Working Families Party lines on November 4, 2009, with 70% of the vote.Lander won a hotly contested Democratic Primary on September 15, 2009 with 41% of the vote in a field of five.Lander was reelected on the Democratic and Working Families Parties' lines on November 5, 2013 to serve for a second term.