Stephanie Keegan
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Stephanie Keegan (Democratic Party) ran for election to the New York State Assembly to represent District 94. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Keegan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Stephanie Keegan was born in New York, New York. She took classes at Sarah Lawrence and Leslie University. Her professional experience includes working as a veterans advocate, working in education with students with special needs, teaching English and history, and working for CareMount Medical as an insurance auditor. Keegan is affiliated with IAVA, the Travis Manion Foundation, Blue Star Families, and TAPS.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: New York State Assembly elections, 2020
General election
General election for New York State Assembly District 94
Incumbent Kevin M. Byrne defeated Stephanie Keegan in the general election for New York State Assembly District 94 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kevin M. Byrne (R / Conservative Party / Independence Party / Serve America Movement Party / Rebuild Our State Party) | 58.1 | 41,681 |
 | Stephanie Keegan (D)  | 41.8 | 30,005 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 12 | ||
| Total votes: 71,698 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Stephanie Keegan advanced from the Democratic primary for New York State Assembly District 94.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Kevin M. Byrne advanced from the Republican primary for New York State Assembly District 94.
Conservative Party primary election
The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Incumbent Kevin M. Byrne advanced from the Conservative Party primary for New York State Assembly District 94.
Independence Party primary election
The Independence Party primary election was canceled. Incumbent Kevin M. Byrne advanced from the Independence Party primary for New York State Assembly District 94.
Serve America Movement Party primary election
The Serve America Movement Party primary election was canceled. Incumbent Kevin M. Byrne advanced from the Serve America Movement Party primary for New York State Assembly District 94.
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Stephanie Keegan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Keegan's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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A former educator, mother, nationally recognized veteran's advocate, and proud resident of Somers, I know the issues facing New Yorkers in District 94 because I've lived through them herself.
- We must do better to support our veterans. Plenty of politicians say they support veterans, but New Yorkers deserve a representative who does more than talk. I am ready to face any challenge for our heroes in uniform.
- No family should lose a loved one to something preventable. I know that healthcare is a human right and timely coverage saves lives. I am committed to making healthcare, including mental health care and addiction treatment, affordable for every New Yorker.
- Brewster, Carmel, Southeast, Putnam Valley, Somers, and Yorktown are all unique towns situated with their own diverse set of needs. Our neighborhoods deserve an Assemblywoman who will fight for each community, not a one-size fits all plan.
My top issues are supporting our veterans, protecting healthcare, and transparent representation for our communities. I have spent the past several years of my life traveling the nation and the halls of Congress fighting for better treatment of and support for our veterans, because I've seen firsthand what neglect leads to. Our military puts themselves on the line for us; they deserve us having their backs.
Our healthcare system is the best in the world, but only if you can afford it. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven this with people receiving bills totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars for a week-long stay in the ICU. Every New Yorker deserves the right to affordable treatment.
I have spent most of my adult life as an organizer in one form or another. Raising a family, working in the education field, and as an advocate for the veteran community on a national level has given me a set of unique and important experiences that have led me to focus on the priorities of communities large and small. I've also been a member of Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney's Veterans Advisory Board for four years. In that capacity I helped work on the issues facing local veterans, as well as successfully lobbying for the passage of the Purple Heart Commemorative Coin Act in the House of Representatives. I am now working with Senator Charles Schumer's staff to pass the bill in it's newest form on the Senate side. It is expected to be passed by Fall.
When I am gone I would like people to know that I did my very best to bring a better quality of life to everyone I encountered and even some that I hadn't. When my children talk to their children about me I hope that they will be able to show that I was on the right side of history, fighting for those in the greatest need of help, and making a positive mark in this world.
I was four years old when JFK was assassinated and I remember the grief like it was yesterday. Never before had I seen my parents cry. I remember sitting in our family room watching the funeral and feeling the power of the event wash over me. It was at that moment that I first started to understand that there were people in the world who would do terrible things if they couldn't do good things to get their way. I still carry that feeling with me. I was also incredibly struck by the way the country came together in grief and support for the President's family. I thought this unity was how our country would always be. I have lived a lot, and lost a lot since then, including my parents and my oldest son. Now, having learned that even in the greatest country in the world there are issues that can rip us apart, I am more determined to find the things that unite us, because without unity we cannot get the really good work accomplished.
"Outside The Wire - Ten Lessons I've Learned In Everyday Courage" by Jason Kander.
This book speaks to me like no other. I've had the opportunity to meet and chat with Jason a few times, and he has endorsed my campaign, but that is not why this book means so much to me. It speaks of basic values and purpose in a way that I hold near and dear and it helps me to better understand the moral and emotional battles experienced by veterans in a complex world.
This book speaks to me like no other. I've had the opportunity to meet and chat with Jason a few times, and he has endorsed my campaign, but that is not why this book means so much to me. It speaks of basic values and purpose in a way that I hold near and dear and it helps me to better understand the moral and emotional battles experienced by veterans in a complex world.
From a literary perspective I would love to be at least like Elizabeth Bennet in "Pride and Prejudice." It is important to me that characters feel real and strong, with determination and humor. I have long wondered what it would be like to be such a woman in such a challenging time.
There is a movie character that I have thought would be a lot of fun in real life. Elle Woods from "Legally Blond," is a delight to me. Being easily judged as one kind of person while turning out to actually be a totally different person is a concept I really feel a kinship with. I absolutely love the ability to surprise people who think they have the right label for me! I'll never be as attractive or wealthy as Elle Woods, but I love how easy she makes it look to surprise people by accomplishing things they could never have imagined were possible for her.
There is a movie character that I have thought would be a lot of fun in real life. Elle Woods from "Legally Blond," is a delight to me. Being easily judged as one kind of person while turning out to actually be a totally different person is a concept I really feel a kinship with. I absolutely love the ability to surprise people who think they have the right label for me! I'll never be as attractive or wealthy as Elle Woods, but I love how easy she makes it look to surprise people by accomplishing things they could never have imagined were possible for her.
Somewhere Over The Rainbow
I've had some serious struggles in my lifetime. Without question, the most difficult period of my life was the years in which my oldest son battled PTSD and addiction after eight years of service in the 82nd Airborne and twenty six months serving in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He waited sixteen months for treatment from the VA and died just two weeks before he was scheduled to enter a VA treatment program. Dan was in North Carolina during that time and I was in NY. We spoke every day, and I made multiple trips to see him, trying desperately to help him stay alive. At the end of his life he had developed an infection, from his intermittent drug use, that he thought was the flu. The last time he called the VA he was on hold for six and a half hours. That was about a week before he died. I did everything I could to support him, but I couldn't save him. Had I known it was more than the flu I would have been down there and he might still be alive. Those last years of his life were heartbreaking, but we spoke every day and I knew about the veterans advocacy he wanted to do when he got well. After his death I left my job at CareMount to do the work for him. It was an awful and heartbreaking time for my son, for me, for my family in that last year of his life. It has strengthened me and given me focus, but I'd give everything for it to have ended differently.
I do not believe that it is necessarily beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics. Experience is only helpful if it is the kind that is built on the right priorities. Experience in helping communities and individuals in effective and efficient ways is a good thing, but experience that has been mostly uninvolved with communities and individuals and primarily involved with self service means nothing, no matter how far you have gone on that. Any work that shows positive accomplishments in support communities and creating real positive change is what matters the most.
I strongly feel that the relationship between the governor and state legislature should be much like the relationships in extended families. The governor is the family leader, working to organize and unite the many different perspectives of the extended family as represented by the legislature. The governor must listen to the priorities of the members of the legislature, and the legislators must be as willing to listen to the governor as they expect the governor to be for them. The best interests of the greater portion of the population must be the focus of the teamwork between governor and legislators, just as the best interests of a family as a whole must be the focus of the family member arranging a Thanksgiving gathering, or in more difficult conversations on things like estates of loved ones.
There are a number of committees I'd be interested in being a part of. My top choices are Veterans Affairs, Mental Health, Education , and Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. I have personal experience in these areas and have worked on them for years, and I believe I will bring an important perspective in the discussions of these committees. Other committees that I am interested in are Children and Families, Consumer Affairs and Protection, Election Laws, Environmental Conservation, Ethics and Guidance, and rules.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 23, 2020
Current members of the New York State Assembly
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Carl Heastie
Representatives
District 1
Thomas Schiavoni (D)
District 2
Jodi Giglio (R)
District 3
Joseph DeStefano (R)
District 4
Rebecca Kassay (D)
District 5
Doug Smith (R)
District 6
Philip Ramos (D)
District 7
Jarett Gandolfo (R)
District 8
District 9
Michael Durso (R)
District 10
Steve Stern (D)
District 11
Kwani O'Pharrow (D)
District 12
Keith Brown (R)
District 13
Charles Lavine (D)
District 14
David McDonough (R)
District 15
Jake Blumencranz (R)
District 16
Daniel Norber (R)
District 17
John Mikulin (R)
District 18
Noah Burroughs (D)
District 19
Edward Ra (R)
District 20
Eric Brown (R)
District 21
Judy Griffin (D)
District 22
District 23
Stacey Amato (D)
District 24
David Weprin (D)
District 25
Nily Rozic (D)
District 26
District 27
Sam Berger (D)
District 28
Andrew Hevesi (D)
District 29
Alicia Hyndman (D)
District 30
Steven Raga (D)
District 31
Khaleel Anderson (D)
District 32
Vivian Cook (D)
District 33
Clyde Vanel (D)
District 34
District 35
Larinda Hooks (D)
District 36
Zohran Mamdani (D)
District 37
Claire Valdez (D)
District 38
Jenifer Rajkumar (D)
District 39
Catalina Cruz (D)
District 40
Ron Kim (D)
District 41
Kalman Yeger (D)
District 42
District 43
Brian Cunningham (D)
District 44
Robert Carroll (D)
District 45
Michael Novakhov (R)
District 46
District 47
William Colton (D)
District 48
District 49
Lester Chang (R)
District 50
Emily Gallagher (D)
District 51
Marcela Mitaynes (D)
District 52
Jo Simon (D)
District 53
Maritza Davila (D)
District 54
Erik Dilan (D)
District 55
Latrice Walker (D)
District 56
Stefani Zinerman (D)
District 57
District 58
District 59
Jaime Williams (D)
District 60
Nikki Lucas (D)
District 61
Charles Fall (D)
District 62
Michael Reilly (R)
District 63
Samuel Pirozzolo (R)
District 64
District 65
Grace Lee (D)
District 66
Deborah Glick (D)
District 67
Linda Rosenthal (D)
District 68
Eddie Gibbs (D)
District 69
Micah Lasher (D)
District 70
Jordan Wright (D)
District 71
Alfred Taylor (D)
District 72
District 73
Alex Bores (D)
District 74
Harvey Epstein (D)
District 75
Tony Simone (D)
District 76
District 77
Landon Dais (D)
District 78
George Alvarez (D)
District 79
Chantel Jackson (D)
District 80
John Zaccaro (D)
District 81
Jeffrey Dinowitz (D)
District 82
District 83
Carl Heastie (D)
District 84
Amanda Septimo (D)
District 85
Emerita Torres (D)
District 86
Yudelka Tapia (D)
District 87
Karines Reyes (D)
District 88
Amy Paulin (D)
District 89
J. Pretlow (D)
District 90
Nader Sayegh (D)
District 91
Steven Otis (D)
District 92
Maryjane Shimsky (D)
District 93
Chris Burdick (D)
District 94
Matthew Slater (R)
District 95
Dana Levenberg (D)
District 96
Patrick Carroll (D)
District 97
Aron Wieder (D)
District 98
Karl Brabenec (R)
District 99
District 100
Paula Kay (D)
District 101
Brian Maher (R)
District 102
District 103
District 104
District 105
Anil Beephan (R)
District 106
Didi Barrett (D)
District 107
Scott Bendett (R)
District 108
John McDonald (D)
District 109
Gabriella Romero (D)
District 110
Phil Steck (D)
District 111
District 112
Mary Walsh (R)
District 113
Carrie Woerner (D)
District 114
Matthew Simpson (R)
District 115
Vacant
District 116
Scott Gray (R)
District 117
District 118
Robert Smullen (R)
District 119
District 120
William Barclay (R)
District 121
Joe Angelino (R)
District 122
Brian Miller (R)
District 123
Donna Lupardo (D)
District 124
District 125
Anna Kelles (D)
District 126
John Lemondes (R)
District 127
Al Stirpe (D)
District 128
Pamela Hunter (D)
District 129
District 130
Brian Manktelow (R)
District 131
Jeff Gallahan (R)
District 132
Philip Palmesano (R)
District 133
Andrea Bailey (R)
District 134
Josh Jensen (R)
District 135
District 136
Sarah Clark (D)
District 137
Demond Meeks (D)
District 138
Harry Bronson (D)
District 139
Stephen Hawley (R)
District 140
William Conrad (D)
District 141
District 142
Patrick Burke (D)
District 143
District 144
Paul Bologna (R)
District 145
Angelo Morinello (R)
District 146
Karen McMahon (D)
District 147
David DiPietro (R)
District 148
Joe Sempolinski (R)
District 149
Jonathan Rivera (D)
District 150
Andrew Molitor (R)
Democratic Party (102)
Republican Party (47)
Vacancies (1)
