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Justin R. Wagner
Justin Wagner was a 2014 Democratic candidate for District 40 of the New York State Senate.
This candidate ran in a "race to watch" in one of the 20 chambers identified by Ballotpedia as a battleground chamber.
The New York Senate had a difference in partisan balance between Democrats and Republican of three seats, which amounts to 4.8 percent of the chamber. In 2012, a total of nine districts were competitive or mildly competitive. There were eight districts where the margin of victory was 5 percent or less in the 2012 elections.
Campaign themes
2014
Wagner's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[1]
Jobs For New York
- Excerpt: "For instance, Justin believes this is the wrong time to be laying off teachers and neglecting the economic infrastructure in New York because the long-term health of the State’s economy requires an educated workforce and good roads and bridges. Justin also supports the ongoing Tappan Zee Bridge project, which will bring jobs to the area and re-build a critical link for our region. This crucial thoroughfare for the region has been neglected for too long."
Reform Albany
- Excerpt: "The simple truth is that we as a State will never produce the necessary solutions to the challenges our State faces in education, infrastructure and the economy without first reforming the way government in Albany works. The residents of the Hudson Valley want a State Senator who will fight for real reform, and Justin will be that Senator. Justin believes the foundation of a government that works for the people is an election system that is honest, open and holds its elected leaders accountable."
Education
- Excerpt: "The importance of quality educators to our children’s success cannot be overstated. Because teacher quality is a leading indicator of student success, Justin proposes the use of state-owned land to create a new and elite state-of-the-art teacher’s university in New York. Similar to what New York City is attempting to do in attracting an elite math and science college, the State can offer tax incentives and partner with private universities and private sector actors to share and control costs of the project. The goal would be to create the country’s most elite university for educating teachers and then to keep those teachers here in New York working with our children."
Environment
- Excerpt: "Justin opposes hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), the process by which natural gas is extracted by blasting any number of chemicals deep within the earth to rupture shale and release natural gas, in New York State at this time. Based on the track record of fracking in Pennsylvania and other states, Justin believes the potential impacts of fracking on water quality, including contamination, are simply too great."
Property Taxes
- Excerpt: "Justin strongly supports legislative efforts to bring property tax relief to homeowners. This could be done by expanding the current STAR exemption for taxpayers or implementing a “circuit breaker” approach that would cap the amount of property taxes paid by an individual at a certain percentage of their income. Justin believes slowing the growth of property tax increases is not enough; New York’s homeowners need real reductions in their property tax burden."
Elections
2014
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the New York State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on September 9, 2014. The general election took place November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was July 10, 2014. Justin R. Wagner was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Terrence P. Murphy defeated Robert Castelli in the Republican primary. Wagner ran on the Working Families Party ticket and Murphy ran on the Conservative Party, SCC-StopCommon Core, Green Party and Independence Party of New York State tickets. Murphy defeated Wagner in the general election.[2][3][4]
The New York State Senate was a battleground chamber that Ballotpedia identified as having the opportunity to switch partisan control in 2014. The New York Senate had a difference in partisan balance between Democrats and Republican of three seats, or 4.8 percent of the chamber. District 40 in the Senate was identified by Ballotpedia, Syracuse.com and Lohud.com as a battleground district that could determine control of the New York State Senate. In this open seat, Yorktown Councilman Terrence P. Murphy (R) defeated Justin R. Wagner (D) in the general election. In 2012, Wagner was narrowly defeated by former incumbent Greg Ball (R) by a margin of victory of 2 percent. According to filings as of October 2014, Senate Republicans spent $350,000 in the race, the most on any one candidate. In comparison, Senate Democrats only spent $94,000.[5][6]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Terrence P. Murphy |
53.2% | 46,884 | |
| Democratic | Justin R. Wagner | 43% | 37,875 | |
| None | Blank | 3.8% | 3,323 | |
| None | Scattering | 0.1% | 69 | |
| Total Votes | 88,151 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Terrence P. Murphy |
69.8% | 4,566 |
| Robert Castelli | 30.2% | 1,976 |
| Total Votes | 6,542 | |
2012
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2012
Wagner ran in the 2012 election for New York State Senate District 40. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on September 13, 2012; he also ran on the Working Families Party ticket. Wagner was defeated by incumbent Gregory R. Ball (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[7]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Ball Incumbent |
51% | 64,991 | |
| Democratic | Justin R. Wagner | 49% | 62,325 | |
| Total Votes | 127,316 | |||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Justin + Wagner + New + York + Senate"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- New York State Senate
- New York State Senate District 40
- New York State Senate elections, 2014
- New York State Legislature
External links
- Official campaign website
- Justin Wagner on Facebook
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
Footnotes
- ↑ Wagner for NY, "Issues," accessed October 7, 2014
- ↑ New York Board of Elections, "Certification for the September 9, 2014, State Primary Election," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ New York Board of Elections, "Primary results for September 9, 2014," accessed October 1, 2014
- ↑ New York Board of Elections, "NYS Board of Elections Senate Election Returns November 4, 2014," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ lohud.com, "Hudson Valley Senate races will shape New York's future," accessed October 24, 2014
- ↑ Syracuse.com, "5 things to consider about the future of the NY State Senate," accessed October 24, 2014
- ↑ State of New York, State Board of Elections, "Candidate Petition List, accessed August 9, 2012
