State Senate District 42 is considered a "purple district” in the Hudson Valley. This means the seat has been held by both parties and could swing in either direction on election night. Two years ago, Democrat Jen Metzger won the seat after 10-term Republican incumbent John Bonacic retired.
What You Need To Know
- Incumbent Democrat Jen Metzger faces Republican challenger Mike Martucci
- The district is considered purple, meaning it could swing in either direction on election night
- Metzer's seat had previously been held by Republican John Bonacic for 20 years before he retired in 2018
“There’s nothing better than to be able to serve my communities and help address challenges that our communities face. I feel like I have a lot more work to do,” Metzger said. “I've made a great start in my first term.”
She’s facing off against Republican challenger Mike Martucci, a long-time small business owner who’s raising his family in Orange County.
“When I look at the state of New York, it's very clear to me that the state is headed in the wrong direction," Martucci said.
In her second term, Metzger wants to take a hard look at funding education through avenues other than property taxes. She also has plans for getting rural communities affordable access to internet, and expanding farm-to-school initiatives to give children more options for healthy foods. She introduced a bill that would include breakfast in the incentive program.
“It's going to make it easier for schools to participate in the farm-to-school program. If a school district sources 30 percent of the food that it serves from local farms, they get 25 cents off of every meal," Metzger said.
Martucci says if elected, he’ll focus on affordability and getting the cost of living down. He also wants to repeal the state’s bail reform laws and focus on small business relief. Specifically, getting rid of levies he considers unnecessary like the MTA tax.
“So one of the things we have to do in New York is restructure the small business tax structure because right now our businesses carry a tremendous tax burden,” Martucci said.
Election Day is November 3, and early voting ends on Sunday.