Democratic state Sen. Shelley Mayer soundly defeated her Republican opponent Tuesday night returning to Albany for another term.
Mayer officially declared victory capturing 57 percent of the vote to Tricia Lindsay’s 43 percent.
She told The Record she was honored to be overwhelmingly reelected by the voters of the 37th Senate District.
“I am gratified by their confidence in my strong advocacy, my commitment to Democratic values, and my willingness to work with everyone to solve the problems faced by New York state and our communities,” she said. “My commitment remains to serve everyone in our district with diligence and empathy.
The lopsided win provides Mayer, 72, a fourth full term representing the 37th Senate District.
She first secured a seat in Albany’s upper chamber in a 2018 special election against GOP-backed Julie Killian of Rye. Before that, Mayer, who lives in Yonkers, had spent six years in the state Assembly.
Her campaign emphasized her record of constituent service, commitment to quality education for all students (she chairs the senate education committee) and advocacy for policies to address climate change which has heightened flooding in the Sound Shore area.
Mayer said her greatest asset during the campaign may have been her record of bringing resources to the district to help with issues like flooding, education, and infrastructure.
Lindsay, a civil rights and constitutional law attorney from Harrison, criticized Mayer during the campaign for her positions on social issues such as Ballot Proposal 1, which places abortion protections into the state constitution and extends anti-discrimination protections to include sexual orientation and disability.
The incumbent dismissed Lindsay’s line of attack as a strategy of “distraction” intended to rile up voters with “threats that are not real” on issues like boys on girls’ sports teams or parental consent for health care provided to trans youth.
In addition to Rye, the district includes Armonk, Bronxville, Eastchester, Harrison, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, North Castle, Port Chester, Pound Ridge, Rye Brook, Scarsdale, Tuckahoe, Yonkers, and White Plains.
In 2023, Mayer made a salary of $142,000, according to seethroughny.net.
Members of the state Senate are elected to two-year terms.