Valerie Cartright
Valerie Cartright (Democratic Party, Working Families Party) ran for election to the New York State Senate to represent District 1. She advanced from the Working Families Party primary on June 23, 2020. Cartright withdrew her candidacy for state Senate before the general election on November 3, 2020, running instead for New York State Supreme Court.[1]
Biography
Valerie Cartright was born in Queens, New York. She earned a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University in 1997 and a J.D. from the Touro College Jacob D. Fuschberg Law Center.[2]
Elections
2020
See also: New York State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for New York State Senate District 1
Anthony Palumbo defeated Laura Ahearn in the general election for New York State Senate District 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Anthony Palumbo (R / Conservative Party) | 51.7 | 86,975 |
 | Laura Ahearn (D / Protect the Taxpayer Party)  | 48.3 | 81,265 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 33 | ||
| Total votes: 168,273 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Valerie Cartright (Working Families Party)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New York State Senate District 1
Laura Ahearn defeated Valerie Cartright, Thomas Schiavoni, Skyler Johnson, and Nora Higgins in the Democratic primary for New York State Senate District 1 on June 23, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Laura Ahearn | 34.2 | 8,429 |
 | Valerie Cartright | 26.7 | 6,576 | |
 | Thomas Schiavoni | 23.6 | 5,825 | |
 | Skyler Johnson | 11.5 | 2,830 | |
| Nora Higgins | 3.9 | 952 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 29 | ||
| Total votes: 24,641 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Anthony Palumbo advanced from the Republican primary for New York State Senate District 1.
Conservative Party primary election
The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Anthony Palumbo advanced from the Conservative Party primary for New York State Senate District 1.
Working Families Party primary election
The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Valerie Cartright advanced from the Working Families Party primary for New York State Senate District 1.
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Valerie Cartright completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cartright's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Councilwoman Valerie Cartright has worked diligently in the communities she represents to provide constituent services to address quality of life issues related to housing, crime and drug prevention, land use and planning, upgrades to parks and beaches, historic preservation, and water quality.
Valerie Cartright earned her Juris Doctorate from Touro College Jacob D. Fuschberg Law Center after receiving her undergraduate degree in International Studies from West Virginia University. She has practiced law for over sixteen years, focusing her law career on the areas of civil rights and criminal defense and held the position of Senior Attorney at the Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington prior to taking office. Additionally, she serves as an Adjunct Instructor at St. Joseph's College.
Valerie Cartright takes great pride in being a first-generation woman of Haitian descent. She is married and is a mother to a 3-year-old daughter. She feels blessed to have survived a breast cancer diagnosis in her thirties, and is an active member of her church.
- I have spent my life in the community - as a civil rights attorney, an educator and an elected official. I believe in transparency of government, working across party lines, strengthening relationships between community and government, and bringing a wide range of stakeholders together to develop innovative solutions to challenging and complex problems. I believe that First Senatorial District needs a strong leader to fight for our democratic principles.
- As a civil rights attorney, I have made it my life's work to be a voice for those who are not heard and those that are ignored. My experience as a practicing Civil Rights attorney has provided me with an intimate understanding of the Civil Rights laws and the criminal justice system. Studies have shown that, historically, there are certain laws and policies governing the criminal justice system that are socioeconomically, racially, and gender biased. The application of these laws created a system plagued by inequity. I will use my knowledge and experiences in this area, to work to remedy these inequities and to fight for policy changes and legislation that will have a positive impact. I will continue to fight for justice and equal treatment
- I have seven years of experience as a local elected official in the Town of Brookhaven and have successfully passed impactful legislation that has improved the quality of life for not only the constituents of the Town of Brookhaven but all of Long Island and New York over the last four terms, despite being the only Democrat on the Town Board. I understand the importance of reaching across party lines and working with those who have different views than myself to make sure the needs and concerns of the constituents are met and addressed.
As a breast cancer survivor, I understand how critical it is to fight for advances in women's health, greater access to diagnostic testing, and support for families during a health crisis like the one we are faced with today. As a woman, I understand the need for equality in healthcare that ensures the right to access medical care that is specific to a woman's health needs. As a wife and a mother, I understand first-hand the struggles of raising a family and carrying a full time job. I recognize the need for safe, quality childcare. I am a first-generation woman of Haitian descent. My parents emigrated to the United States in pursuit of safety and a better life. I am thankful that they had the opportunity to raise our family in the United States. I am passionate about preserving the basic human rights of immigrants in this country as well as all those who are citizens of our country. I believe that everyone deserves to be treated with equality, respect and dignity regardless of their socioeconomic status, racial identity, ethic identity, gender, sex, sexual orientation or citizen status. I am passionate about the protection of our environment. As a Long Island resident, I enjoy the beautiful parks, beaches and natural landscapes of our community. I want to ensure that the quality and beauty of our environment is maintained. Everyone deserves equal access to clean air and water.
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
- ↑ Valerie Cartright for NYS Supreme Court Justice, "About," accessed October 23, 2020
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 2, 2020
