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Experience and Qualifications
James Skoufis began his career in public service on the Woodbury Town Board before being elected to the State Assembly at age 25, its youngest member at the time. He has represented Orange County since 2013, first in the State Assembly's 99th District, and then in the State Senate since 2019, currently serving as Chair of the Investigations and Government Operations Committee. During his time in office, he’s stood up to overdevelopment, served as a statewide leader in the fight for universal pre-K, and taken on corporate welfare and corruption, from price-gouging utilities to drug pricing middlemen.
Community Involvement
A graduate of Monroe-Woodbury, James Skoufis now lives with his family in Cornwall. In office, he’s been a persistent advocate for local infrastructure funding, public safety, senior services, and education funding across Orange County, with his office securing billions of additional dollars in state aid for schools and hundreds of millions of dollars in direct state funding for services and projects, including recent grants supporting local budgets, senior centers, and open space preservation.
Education
B.A., The George Washington University; M.A., Columbia University
Campaign Endorsements
Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts; New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV); Sierra Club; 1199SEIU; 32BJ SEIU; New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA); NYS Laborers PAC (LiUNA!); Communications Workers of America (CWA); Working Families Party; Orange County Corrections PBA (OCCOBA); Police Benevolent Association of New York State (PBA of NYS); Moms Demand Action (Gun Sense Candidate); New York AFL-CIO; New York State United Teachers (NYSUT); Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA); Police Conference of New York (PCNY); NYS Troopers PBA.
Campaign Instagram
www.instagram.com/jamesskoufis
During my tenure in Albany, I’ve consistently stood up to overdevelopment in our community, taking on megawarehouses and even changing the law on how villages are formed to block the proposed Village of Seven Springs next to Kiryas Joel. If re-elected, I’ll continue to fight for smart, accountable growth that’s right-sized for us.
In recent years, I’ve also secured a watchdog at our Industrial Development Agency, the little-known entity tasked with handing out property tax breaks to corporations locating in Orange County. If re-elected, I’ll continue to defend taxpayers from the 'corporate welfare' that starves our community of resources for schools, safety, and infrastructure.
Finally, I'll continue to make sure we get our fair share from Albany. As a Senator, I've brought state income taxes to their lowest level in over 70 years, secured a 20% toll discount for Orange County on the Tappan Zee (effective in November), and taken on utilities—but there's no doubt the work isn't done.
In 2019, I was appointed to the small legislative working group that developed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. In the years since, I’ve backed that up with a 100% score from the New York League of Conservation Voters for my environmental voting record, but the challenge now is to deliver on this agenda's goals while still centering the needs of everyday New Yorkers.
Over the years, I’ve consistently fought to make sure the Hudson Valley gets its fair shake for transit and infrastructure, securing state funding for fare-free bus transit in Newburgh and Middletown while taking on the MTA for its neglect of west-of-Hudson rail service. As we consider ways to address our state's significant climate risks and housing challenges, it's imperative that we all pick up the mantle against overdevelopment, fight for a fair deal for commuters, and pass legislation like my REVIVE Act, which would allow housing development on underused parking lots and stranded retail sites.
First as an Assemblyman and now as a State Senator, I’ve fought hard for equal protection under the law, equal pay in the workplace, paid family leave, contraception coverage, and survivors' rights, and will continue to do so.
I’ve sponsored legislation to close gender and racial pay gaps and advance equal pay for equivalent work. I’ve fought to make sure every family, not just those in the five boroughs, has access to universal pre-K, securing $230 million to bring UPK to suburban and upstate New York and delivering thousands of new pre-K seats right here in Orange County. I’ve taken action to require insurance coverage for pharmacist-provided contraceptive services, and I championed the Child Victims Act to give survivors of child sexual abuse their day in court. I supported paid family leave and will keep fighting for New York families on all of these fronts.
The Supreme Court's decision to gut Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and strip away the preclearance protections that used to cover parts of our state makes it more important than ever to have strong protections of our own.
In addition to myriad measures I’ve championed to strengthen the franchise, including our state’s recent move to even-year elections, I’m introducing legislation to ensure absentee and mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day are accepted up to seven days thereafter and support strengthening the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to cover congressional districts and protect New Yorkers against racially discriminatory maps.
