Two candidates seek Conservative ballot line for NYS Senate District 42

The race for the District 42 NYS Senate seat is heating up. On the Democratic Party line, registered Democratic and Working Families voters will just have one candidate listed on their primary ballots: incumbent James Skoufis. However, the Conservative line now has two challengers: Dorey Houle and Tim Mitts.

According to the Orange County Board of Elections, all three candidates have filed the necessary paperwork to appear on the June 25 primary ballots for their respective parties. Houle will also appear on the Republican Party ballot line. Whoever wins the most votes for either the Republican or Conservative lines on primary day will most likely run against Skoufis during the November 5, 2024, general election.

Note: only voters registered to one of the aforementioned parties can vote for those candidates on June 25. To check your registration status, visit elections.ny.gov.

Each candidate has given a rundown of their qualifications for the state senate seat, listed below.

Dorey Houle, who ran against Skoufis during the 2022 election, is currently a councilmember on the Monroe Town Board, having been first elected in 2021. Prior to that, she was a member of the Monroe Village Board, elected in 2018. In her candidate announcement, Houle highlighted several key issues as the focus of her campaign, including cost of living, public safety, election laws, cannabis laws, criminal justice reform, road maintenance, and fighting against forcing “full electrification” on property owners.

Tim Mitts, also a Monroe resident, is the current president of the Preservation of Rest Haven and a member of the Monroe Lions Club. He is a landlord overseeing about 60 tenants. He manages “Christmas time at Rest Haven” where Santa is flown in by helicopter to delight area children. Mitts also noted that he preserves historical properties, including the Pinecrest Bungalow Colony, and has been recognized by causes such as the American Foundation for the Blind, among others.

Prior to representing Senate District 42, James Skoufis was the state senator for District 39 and a member of the NYS Assembly from 2013 to 2019. Before that, he served as a Woodbury town councilmember. In his reelection announcement, Skoufis highlighted the following achievements: securing universal pre-K and school funding, “cracking down on corporate welfare,” fighting overdevelopment, and securing “the lowest middle-class income tax rates in 75 years.” He currently chairs the state senate’s Investigations and Government Operations committee.