Steve Brescia kicks off New York State Senate campaign
Pine Bush. Longtime Orange County Legislator running to unseat James Skoufis in 39th District
| 01 Mar 2020 | 05:06
Alongside friends, family members and supporters, as well as local elected officials, Steve Brescia, the Republican chairman of the Orange County Legislature, Sunday kicked off his campaign for State Senate's 39th district, a seat currently held by Democrat James Skoufis. (
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"This year’s election is so important to determining the future of the Hudson Valley," Steve Brescia said announcing his candidacy for the New York State Senate.
“Steve Brescia is the right candidate for State Senate," said Orange County Republican Chairwoman Courtney Canfield Greene as she and many other Republicans cheered Brescia's candidacy.
Steve Brescia, the Republican chairman of the Orange County Legislature, Sunday kicked off his campaign for State Senate's 39th district, a seat currently held by Democrat James Skoufis.
Alongside friends, family members and supporters, as well as local elected officials, Brescia outlined his reasons for running and his plans to fight for an agenda that he said reflects the values and needs of Hudson Valley families and small businesses.
"This year’s election is so important to determining the future of the Hudson Valley," Brescia said in the press release detailing his announcement. “One year of one-party Democratic control has been a disaster. As we’ve just witnessed with the level 3 sex offender set free in New Windsor, bail reform has put our communities in peril. And it’s still too expensive for many of us to afford to live and work here.
“As a county legislator," the candidate added, "I worked to increase economic development and tourism throughout the county, held the line on taxes to make our region more affordable, fought for additional funding and resources to help stem the tide of the opioid epidemic and led the fight on public safety. Now, I’m running for State Senate to bring common sense solutions to Albany and improve our quality of life for this generation and generations to come.”
A bevy of Republican supporters added their voice to Brescia's candidacy:
Orange County Republican Chairwoman Courtney Canfield Greene:
“Steve Brescia is the right candidate for State Senate. His experiences at the local level as a County Legislator, combined with his focus on public safety, taxes and economic development are what we need right now in the Senate. We can count on Steve Brescia to do what’s right for the Hudson Valley and get state government back on track.”
Mike McGinn, Monroe Town councilman and president of the Fraternal Order of Police, Jason Conklin Memorial Lodge 957:
“Over the past year, state government has made our communities less safe and also made it harder for law enforcement to do its job,. Steve Brescia has a proven record of defending local law enforcement and supporting important public safety measures and he’s the only candidate that supports a repeal of bail reform."
Crawford Town Supervisor Charlie Carnes:
“Local governments and local taxpayers need to have a strong voice in state government. Right now, in the Senate, they don’t. He gets the issues we face, and he gets what the state can do to ease the burden on town and county government and property tax payers. We need Steve’s perspective and work ethic fighting for us in the State Senate.”
Assemblyman Colin Schmitt:
“Steve is the type of partner I need in Albany to join me in fighting for our Hudson Valley values. From repealing the dangerous criminal justice changes, to preserving our open space and farmland to bringing our fair share of funding back, Steve is well equipped to lead the charge for all families of our Senate District.”
Rockland Republicans
Meanwhile, Brescia picked up several crucial endorsements earlier this week in his campaign for State Senate: Rockland County Republican Chairman Lawrence Garvey, Rockland County Executive Ed Day, Stony Point Supervisor Jim Monaghan and Stony Point Councilman Tom Basile.
A long history of Republican state senators
The 39th state Senate District includes communities west of the Hudson River in Orange, Rockland and Ulster counties and, until 2018, had long been a seat held by Republicans, last by William J. Larkin Jr.
Before Larkin there was Richard E. Schermerhorn, who served for nine terms and who took D. Clinton Dominick III to primary in 1970. Clinton, who served in the state Senate from 1959 to 1970, co-sponsored the bill in 1970 which legalized unrestricted abortion until 24 weeks of pregnancy in New York State.
Following Larkin's retirement in 2018, James Skoufis defeated Republican and Conservative Tom Basile by more than 9,000 votes in that fall's general election.
The 39th NYS Senate District
The district includes communities west of the Hudson River in Orange, Rockland and Ulster counties, including the towns of Blooming Grove, Chester, Cornwall, Crawford, Goshen, Haverstraw, Highlands, Marlborough, Monroe, Montgomery, New Windsor, Newburgh, Plattekill, Stony Point, Woodbury and the city of Newburgh.