Smythe, Serino in Rematch for NY State Senate
Karen Smythe: Democratic Underdog
Karen Smythe owns eight blue blazers.
Ranging from light sky to deep cerulean, the fitted jackets have become Smythe’s signature statement piece, so much so that her campaign manager once saw her wearing a different color at an event and did not immediately recognize her. Brazen blue fits the Democratic candidate, determined to disrupt the 41st District’s red streak in the New York State Senate.
Karen Smythe (D) challenges Sen. Sue Serino for the second time after losing by fewer than 700 votes in 2018.
Smythe challenges Sen. Sue Serino (R-Hyde Park), the incumbent pursuing her fourth consecutive term, in a rematch. In 2018, Smythe lost by just 688 votes, a number she recalls as easily as the number of children she has (two, both raised in the Hudson Valley).
Few aspects of Karen Smythe’s life and career might have anticipated her proclivity for the political realm. Born and raised in Poughkeepsie, she continued her college education in her hometown at Vassar. She graduated in 1982 with a degree in drama and later received her MBA from the University of Virginia.
Indicative of her liberal arts background, Smythe assumed a number of diverse roles throughout her career: she led her family’s construction business, C.B. Strain & Son. She worked in the food industry, executing marketing for brands like Doritos Tortilla Chips and Dannon Yogurt. In the community, she’s volunteered as a soccer coach and Sunday school teacher and served on the boards of the Bardavon Theater and the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum. She now lives with her husband, Nevill, in Red Hook, the homebase for her virtual campaign office.
Despite her unexpected path to the ballot, Smythe now recognizes the harbingers in her story –– she loved pointing to a building that was a C.B. Strain & Son project or a product on the shelf at the grocery store and saying, “We did that.” She revels in the process of uniting disparate groups for a common goal. Even her drama background provided some unexpectedly transferable skills.
“[Acting] provided me an opportunity to put myself in someone else’s shoes and imagine what it would be like in their life. I think that’s helped me think about all the different people now, as I’m running for office … I have my experience, but the idea is for me to represent everyone,” Smythe said.
Michael Dupree spotted Smythe at a Planned Parenthood event in 2017 –– a house party with about 30 people. As the vice-chair of the Dutchess County Democratic Committee, Dupree seeks out candidates with promise for public service. He knew Smythe socially, but as he watched Smythe listen to Planned Parenthood’s CEO, an idea took hold.
“Karen was nodding, nodding, nodding. It popped into my head: ‘I wonder what she’d be like as a candidate for Senate,’” Dupree said.
Around this time, Smythe felt the impetuses mounting. In 2014, the Supreme Court’s “Hobby Lobby” decision rattled her confidence in the country’s progress on women’s issues. Then came the Trump presidency, which Smythe said left her pondering how “character used to matter in who we elected as our president.”
She decided that she was finished complaining; she followed Dupree’s proposition and committed to run.
With no prior political experience whatsoever, Smythe confronted a daunting learning curve. Smythe’s husband, Nevill, attended each of her events, checking in attendees and taking pictures as Karen Smythe embarked on her first foray into politics.
“She started out scripted, but very quickly, and it continues today, the next time she speaks she’s smarter and more intelligent and has thought through things that much more. She is constantly learning, and she just keeps getting better and better,” he said.
In 2018, she knocked on door after door and engaged in active dialogues with the people of District 41. Armed with data about each person’s voting record and registered party, Smythe found herself approaching front stoops with assumptions about how the conversation would turn out. Many times, she was utterly surprised.
“It was just a reminder, going back to the phrase ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ … as a representative, I see that as my job –– hearing that and understanding all the different places people are coming from. And I really valued that,” Smythe said.
This year, without the freedom to safely visit voters, the Smythe team relies on phone calls and virtual communication. While talking on the phone, Smythe envisions herself looking the person in the eye and making that personal connection in person.
Their stories continue to impact her –– seniors who are afraid to leave their houses, a teacher struggling to give adequate attention to in-person and virtual students, a cancer patient facing the added pressures of a global pandemic and intensified financial burdens.
“We all want to live a good life. We all want to take care of our families … We want our kids to do well and have a good education. We want to be safe. We don’t want to worry about going bankrupt if we get sick,” Smythe said. “There’s a lot that makes us the same, and we just tend to focus on where we differ.”
In 2018, Serino beat Smythe by fewer than 700 votes out of approximately 118,000 cast. Smythe said she did not see it as a loss –– just unfinished business. She rededicated herself to the Beatrix Farrand Garden Association, where she had previously served as executive director. She continued to attend events on solar energy and housing crises as well as common council meetings. Her commitment caught the eye of Rebecca Gausepohl, now Smythe’s campaign coordinator.
“It’s not like she ran for office and lost and stopped caring about these issues; she ran for office, lost and then found ways for her to make change as a civilian,” Gausepohl said. “That’s when I was like, ‘Wow, she is the real deal.’ Her motivation is purely to create this change in her community that she feels is lacking.”
In September of 2019, Smythe announced her candidacy for the 2020 election.
Many of Smythe’s fundamental campaign issues from 2018 remain –– reproductive rights, job growth, climate change –– but her prioritization this year reflects recent events, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic. She highlights reigniting the economy following a pandemic-induced recession and investing in the green technology sector. She’s vocal about the need for strengthened broadband infrastructure, immutably linked to education, work and telehealth.
“Right now, the impetus for me to get involved with public service is to do what I can to enhance my community,” Smythe said.
Smythe realized she would never be an actress because she hated auditioning. But Nov. 3 is Smythe’s callback for the lead –– her stage, the ballot box; her wardrobe, her blue blazer.