Astorino Announces Run For NY State Senate Seat

SOUTH SALEM, NY — Former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino is running for state Senate in District 40.

He's running for the historically Republican seat against first-term state Sen. Pete Harckham, a Westchester Democrat who narrowly defeated Terrence Murphy in 2018.

"To change NY, we have to change the politicians," Astorino said on his Facebook page. "We need responsible leaders who can bring people together and get things done. I've done it before, and I will do it again."

New York's 40th District stretches across three counties. It includes Beekman and Pawling in Dutchess County, Carmel, Patterson and Southeast and Brewster in Putnam County, and Briarcliff Manor, Buchanan, Cortlandt, Croton-on-Hudson, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, Mount Pleasant, New Castle, North Salem, Peekskill, Pound Ridge, Sleepy Hollow, Somers and Yorktown in Westchester.

Astorino, a South Salem resident, currently works as a National Affairs and Political Commentator with CNN, serves as Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s Delegate to the Mother Cabrini Foundation, and is a member of the Board of Directors of Everyone’s Earth, Inc.

Born in Mount Vernon, Astorino was first elected to public office at 21, serving as a member of the Mount Pleasant Board of Education and 12 years as a Mount Pleasant town councilman, including six years as deputy supervisor. In 2003, he was elected to the Westchester County Board of Legislators.

During his eight years as Westchester's county executive from 2010-17, Astorino held property taxes flat and warned about fiscal threats to local and state government. He also implemented an agreement with the federal government to substantially increase the amount of affordable housing in Westchester's most expensive communities while pushing back on attempts by HUD to dismantle local zoning. He challenged Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2014 and lost.

Harckham issued a statement in response to Astorino’s formal announcement:

I welcome Rob Astorino’s candidacy for the New York State Senate. In 2018, however, I was elected to the State Senate because voters rejected Donald Trump’s divisive and reckless politics. And I am confident that voters will send me back to Albany in November because they are even more ready this year to say ‘no’ to Trump and surrogates like his close friend Rob Astorino.

Find more information about Astorino's campaign on his website and Facebook page.