Ted O'Brien
Ted O'Brien is a former Democratic member of the New York State Senate, representing District 55 from 2012 to January 1, 2015. He was defeated in the November 4, 2014, general election by Rich Funke (R).
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.
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, O'Brien served on the following committees:
| New York committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Banks |
| • Codes |
| • Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business |
| • Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation |
| • Health |
| • Insurance |
| • Local Government |
Campaign themes
2014
O'Brien's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[1]
Delivering Upstate Tax Relief
- Excerpt: "Ted believes that for too long, Upstate families and businesses have struggled under the burden of high taxes that drive up the cost of living and stifle growth and innovation. That’s why Ted fought to secure $1.5 billion in property tax relief that will go directly to homeowners and small businesses, and introduced the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act to force Albany politicians to get serious about reducing mandated costs on local communities that drive up property taxes."
Creating Jobs in Our Community
- Excerpt: "Ted believes that creating new jobs in Monroe and Ontario Counties requires a three-pronged approach: investing in the innovation-based economy, supporting tourism in the Finger Lakes Region, and empowering our highly-skilled workforce to fill the jobs of the future."
Standing Up for Women’s Equality
- Excerpt: "Ted continues to be a leader in the fight to pass all 10 points of the Women’s Equality Act, and will not stop until women and men finally receive equal pay for equal work, women are better protected against sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace, and New York law guarantees women control over their own reproductive health choices."
Improving Our Schools
- Excerpt: "As the father of two young daughters in public school, Ted knows how important it is to provide our children with a first-rate education. Ted successfully fought to increase our community’s school aid by over $77 million and expand access to pre-K in our community to over 700 high-need children. He has also been an outspoken critic of the flawed roll-out of the Common Core Curriculum, and helped pass key reforms this year that will curb excessive standardized testing and protect student privacy."
Cleaning Up Albany
- Excerpt: "Ted has worked tirelessly to fight corruption by advocating for term limits for politicians and passing tougher penalties for public officials who break the law. Ted has written a bill that would prevent politicians accused of corruption for using campaign funds to pay for their legal defense, and supports efforts to strip corrupt politicians of their taxpayer-funded pensions and increase transparency in our campaign finance system. As an Albany outsider, Ted is committed to finally giving New Yorkers the government they deserve."
2012
O'Brien highlighted the following as his priorities:
- "End taxpayer subsidies for corporations that outsource jobs overseas."
- "Fight to lower property taxes so middle class families can afford to live in our communities."
- "Pass the New York Fair Pay Act so that women and men who do the same job receive the same pay."
- "Raise the minimum wage so that hardworking families have a better quality of life and more cash to spend in local businesses."
- "Provide incentives for small businesses that create good, local jobs."
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. Incumbent Ted O'Brien was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Rich Funke was unopposed in the Republican primary. O'Brien ran on the Working Families Party ticket and Funke ran on the Conservative Party, SCC-Stop Common Core and Independence Party of New York State tickets. O'Brien was defeated by Funke 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 55 in the Senate has been identified by Ballotpedia, Democrat & Chronicle and Lohud.com as a battleground district that could determine control of the New York State Senate. Incumbent Ted O'Brien (D) was defeated by Rich Funke (R) in the general election.[5] In 2012, O'Brien won an open seat with a margin of victory of 4 percent. A Siena College poll in October showed O'Brien struggling against Funke.[6] The poll showed Funke leading O'Brien, 57 percent to 32 percent. Funke is well known for his 30-year career as a TV reporter and anchor. O'Brien argued that the public knew Funke because of his television career, but not where he stood on the issues. Campaign finance reports filed in early October showed that Senate Republicans spent $171,000 on Funke's campaign.[7] O'Brien was endorsed by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D) and Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), while Funke was endorsed by the New York chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors.[8][9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Rich Funke |
57.8% | 54,874 | |
| Democratic | Ted O'Brien Incumbent | 40.7% | 38,624 | |
| None | Blank | 1.3% | 1,272 | |
| None | Void | 0.1% | 139 | |
| None | Scattering | 0.1% | 80 | |
| Total Votes | 94,989 | |||
2012
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2012
O'Brien ran in the 2012 election for New York State Senate District 55. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on September 13, 2012. He also ran on the Working Families Party ticket. O'Brien defeated Sean T. Hanna (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[10][11][12]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ted O'Brien |
52% | 70,020 | |
| Republican | Sean Hanna | 48% | 64,572 | |
| Total Votes | 134,592 | |||
Campaign finance summary
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Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
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Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of New York scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2014
In 2014, the 200th New York State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 8 to June 19, 2014.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on legislation concerning businesses, jobs, and the economy.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- EPL/Environmental Advocates: 2014 Environmental Scorecard
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business in New York: 2013-2014 Voting Record
- Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the 200th New York State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 9 to December 31.
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Endorsements
2014
In 2014, O'Brien's endorsements included the following:[13]
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Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Ted + O'Brien + 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
- Senate Committees
- New York State Legislature
- New York state legislative districts
External links
- Official campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Ted O'Brien on Facebook
- Ted O'Brien on Twitter
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2012
Footnotes
- ↑ Ted O'Brien's campaign website, "Issues," accessed October 8, 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
- ↑ Democrat & Chronicle, "A few Senate races will shape NY’s agenda," accessed October 24, 2014
- ↑ Democrat & Chronicle, "RBA backs Democratic Sen. O'Brien," accessed October 24, 2014
- ↑ Democrat & Chronicle, "Schumer endorses O'Brien; builders back Funke," accessed October 24, 2014
- ↑ Democrat & Chronicle, "Cuomo endorses O'Brien for state Senate," accessed October 24, 2014
- ↑ State of New York, State Board of Elections, "Candidate List for the September 13, 2012, State Primary Election," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ State of New York, State Board of Elections, "Official September 13, 2012, Primary Results," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ State of New York, State Board of Elections, "Official Senate Election Returns Nov. 6, 2012," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ Ted O'Brien's campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed October 8, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by James Alesi (R) |
New York Senate District 55 2013–January 1, 2015 |
Succeeded by Rich Funke (R) |
