New York August primary: here’s what you need to know

The second of two primary elections in New York State is coming up on Tuesday, August 23 and early voting begins today. In this primary, voters will choose candidates for United States Congress and State Senate.

Registered Democrats will vote for a candidate to represent New York’s 17th Congressional district and the state’s 40th Senatorial district. Registered Republicans will vote for a candidate to represent New York’s 17th Congressional district.

U.S. Congress

Voters will choose their preferred candidate for the U.S. House to represent New York’s 17th Congressional District.

Democratic Congressional Candidates:

• Sean Maloney (incumbent) - Maloney, 56, has been in office since January 2013. Maloney was elected by House Democrats to chair the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and previously served as senior advisor to former president Bill Clinton.
• Alessandra Biaggi - Biaggi, 36, is a member of the New York State Senate, representing District 34. She assumed office January 2019. She previously served in former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Counsel’s office as lead counsel to the NYS Council for Women and Girls and as the deputy national operations director for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Republican Congressional Candidates:

• Jack Schrepel - Schrepel, 66, lives outside of the congressional district (under federal law, candidates don’t need to live in the district they intend to represent). He is an advertising executive who has previously said that abortion is a national issue that should be decided by referendum, with only women voting.
• Shoshana David - David, 50, is a Harrison resident who lives outside of the congressional district.
• Charles Falciglia - Falciglia, 66, is a 43-year resident of Suffern, New York, serving in the Rockland County Legislature. He has spent 37 years as a banking professional and currently holds the position of Bank Secrecy Act Officer for the United States branches of an international bank.
• William Faulkner - Faulkner, 55, is a member of the Somers Town Board and says he’s committed to bringing “Reasonability and Common Sense” back to government.
• Michael Lawler - Lawler, 35, is a Pearl River resident and has served as a member of the New York State Assembly, representing District 97, since January 2021.He served as Deputy Town Supervisor in Orangetown and previously worked as an advisor to Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino.

New York State Senate

Voters will choose their preferred candidate for the New York State Senate to represent the 40th District, which includes the towns of Carmel, Southeast, North Salem and Somers, among others.

Democratic Senate Candidate:

• Pete Harckham (incumbent) - Harckham, 62, assumed office in January 2019. He chairs the Senate Committee on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. He served in former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration from 2015 - 2018 and previously served on the Westchester County Board of Legislators.

Republican Senate Candidate:

• Gina Arena - Arena, 56, grew up in Bedford, Pound Ridge and Vista. She refers to herself as an “old fashioned Roosevelt-Eisenhower Publican” who “wants our government to be responsible, compassionate, and efficient.”

Where to vote:

Click here to find your polling place

Looking for more information about voting?

Visit Vote411.org for personalized voting information.