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Yvette Valdés Smith
Yvette Valdés Smith (Democratic Party, Working Families Party) ran for election to the New York State Senate to represent District 39. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Valdés Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Yvette Valdés Smith earned a bachelor's degree from the Sarah Lawrence College and a graduate degree from the City College of New York. Her career experience includes working as a legislator and educator. As of 2024, Valdés Smith was affiliated with New York State United Teachers, Vote Mama, and the Stony Kill Farm Education Center.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: New York State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for New York State Senate District 39
Incumbent Robert Rolison defeated Yvette Valdés Smith in the general election for New York State Senate District 39 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Robert Rolison (R / Conservative Party) | 50.7 | 75,594 |
 | Yvette Valdés Smith (D / Working Families Party)  | 49.3 | 73,520 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 63 | ||
| Total votes: 149,177 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Yvette Valdés Smith advanced from the Democratic primary for New York State Senate District 39.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Robert Rolison advanced from the Republican primary for New York State Senate District 39.
Conservative Party primary election
The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Incumbent Robert Rolison advanced from the Conservative Party primary for New York State Senate District 39.
Working Families Party primary election
The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Yvette Valdés Smith advanced from the Working Families Party primary for New York State Senate District 39.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Valdés Smith in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Yvette Valdés Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Valdés Smith's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Born in New York and raised in Puerto Rico by her mother, a school teacher, and her father, a small business owner, Yvette Valdés Smith learned early on the value of service and giving back to her community. At 17, she returned to the Hudson Valley for college and has been working for our communities ever since, forming deep connections with her neighbors who inspire her every day.
Yvette’s journey into public service began at the start of her career as a public school teacher and proud union member. Today, she serves as the Minority Leader in the Dutchess County Legislature, where she has fought tirelessly and successfully to make life more affordable for residents by lowering taxes and protecting our environment for generations to come.
In addition to her work in the county legislature, Yvette proudly serves on the Executive Board of Directors for Stony Kill Farm and on the Advisory Committee for Vote Mama, the first organization dedicated to electing moms across the country.
Yvette lives in Fishkill with her husband and two sons, who are enrolled in their local public school.- Affordability: We all know that the Hudson Valley is facing an unprecedented affordability crisis. Yvette has a track record of opposition to exorbitant tax increases and inappropriate spending of taxpayer dollars while in the county legislature. By electing Valdés Smith to the Senate, we will have a champion for working families ready to take on utility companies, fight for affordable childcare, and keep protecting our dollars as her top priority.
- Education: Yvette knows firsthand from her years of teaching how underinvestment in our schools results in devastating impacts on the quality of education in the classroom. In the State Senate, she will be a strong advocate for increased school funding and reforming our severely outdated Foundation Aid formula to ensure our schools have the resources they need to deliver a quality education.
- Environment: The climate crisis is undeniable, and every day we see it’s at our doorstep. The Hudson Valley is a beautiful place to live and raise a family, which is why Yvette is committed to fighting for our environment and natural resources. She’ll be a strong advocate for holding fossil fuel companies accountable, and will seek innovative ways to meet New York’s climate goals to protect our future.
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.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate New York State Senate District 39 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 25, 2024
