Three-term New York state Sen. James Skoufis has been reelected in the 42nd district in a three-way race on Nov. 5, according to unofficial results by the state Board of Elections.
With all 272 district precincts reported, the Democratic senator got 69,548 votes, compared to 52,391 votes for Republican challenger Dorey Houle and 6,382 votes for Conservative candidate Timothy Mitts.
Skoufis also ran on the Working Families Party line.
“Thank you, Orange County!” Skoufis said in a statement after declaring his victory late in the evening of Nov. 5. “Public service is a privilege I don’t take lightly. This win is for all of us.”
The 42nd Senate District covers most of Orange County, except Montgomery and Newburgh.
He also carried or tied in a larger number of precincts in the town of Monroe, the home base for his two challengers, Houle and Mitts.
According to the county Board of Elections, Skoufis only lost two out of 21 Monroe precincts. Two years ago, he lost six.
Houle said in a concession statement on Nov. 6: “I joined this race nearly two years ago because of my love for New York and my sincere concern that it is on the wrong track ... but now is not my time, and I respect the will of the people.
“I congratulate Senator Skoufis and his family on a hard-fought victory. I wish him the best in his fourth term.”
Mitts said in a Nov. 6 statement: “I want to thank everybody out there near and far for their support. We took a grassroots campaign and made something out of it.”
At age 25, he was elected the youngest lawmaker in the Democratic-controlled state Assembly. Six years later, he ran for the state Senate and became part of the blue wave that flipped the upper chamber to Democratic control in fall 2018.
During his legislative career, Skoufis focused on advocating for local interests in budget negotiations, expanding early childhood education programs at public schools, and cutting what he said were unnecessary corporate tax incentives at taxpayers’ expense.
In the past legislative session, he ranked third among all state senators in the number of sponsored bills passed by the state Legislature.
He said his immediate priorities are advocating for Orange County interests in the upcoming budget negotiations about school aid formula changes and the congestion pricing program.