Serino, Smythe in Rematch for NY State Senate

Sue Serino: Three-Time Incumbent Vying for Fourth Term

Caitlin Little met Sue Serino on her second day at the office. She knew almost nothing about politics as a junior economics major with a minor in professional writing at Marist College, but nevertheless found herself walking into Serino’s Hyde Park office –– a historic Dutch colonial on Route 9 –– in early 2020. 

Sen. Sue Serino (R-Hyde Park) defends her New York State Senate seat against Democratic challenger Karen Smythe. Source: Serino4NY

“When you intern for somebody who is a senator, you think, ‘Oh, I’ll be in a stuffy office probably filing papers, and I’ll never get to meet the man behind the curtain,’” Little said. “But she was there. I called her Senator Serino, and she said, ‘Call me Sue.’ And everybody does. You won’t meet one person who doesn't.” 

Born and raised in Dutchess County, Sue Serino (R-Hyde Park) found a strong political voice and developed a loyal body of constituents in New York’s 41st district. This November, she will vie for her fourth term as the district’s state senator.

Speaking with four of Serino’s former interns, a few common takeaways were clear: Sue Serino knew each of their names. She demonstrated that she cares fiercely about issues specific to the local community, like tick-borne disease and veterans, and she has shown she is capable of engaging both sides of the aisle.  

“I’ve never, ever, ever asked anybody what party affiliation they are, because when you’re elected, you represent everyone,” Serino said.

When she first ran for local office in 2008, she only knocked on Republican doors and lost; the next time, she knocked on every door and claimed victory. Her political M.O. today still reflects that bipartisan approach. 

“Every single voter matters. I don’t shy away from talking with anyone, because they all deserve to be heard, no matter if we agree or not. And we usually find that we have more in common than we don’t,” Serino said. 

Her commitment to the local community runs deep, so much so that she said she turned down an opportunity to run for Congress in D.C. While her primary campaign issues are undeniably based in the Republican Party’s policies –– cutting taxes, bolstering small businesses, protecting law-abiding gun owners –– the crux of her platform lies in issues particularly salient to the district. 

Serino calls her area the “epicenter” for tick-borne diseases, and she has dedicated her services as chair of the New York State Senate Task Force on Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases. She’s a frequent advocate for the elderly, hosting the annual Senior Golden Gathering among other senior citizen engagements. Veterans’ issues also represent a primary concern for Serino; in April, she helped successfully restore funding for the Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer-to-Peer Support Program (Vet2Vet).  

Now, COVID-19 and its impacts on the community consume significant time and resources from Serino’s office. 

“In Albany, they forget, or they live in a bubble, but they don’t think about how much people really live paycheck to paycheck … And it’s not just young people or older people; it’s people even close to my age that might have kids that were going to college that they were helping pay for their tuition. So it hit everybody,” Serino said. 

Serino’s political passions are firmly rooted in her own life experiences. She grew up in Wappingers Falls with two younger brothers. After her parents split, Serino started working at the age of 15 to support her mother. Later in life, she would find herself in a similar position: a single mother living paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet. 

She remarried and, in 1996, found her footing in real estate (she calls owning a home “the greatest American dream”). Today, that business has expanded, but her experiences as a small business owner opened her eyes to the red tape hindering burgeoning entrepreneurs. She addressed her grievances on the political stage, getting elected to the Hyde Park Town Board in 2010, to the Dutchess County Legislature in 2011 and then, ultimately, to the State Senate in 2014. She’s served the district in that role ever since. 

For Serino, a fourth term would have been easy to give up following a nerve-wracking breast cancer diagnosis, which she announced publicly in July. Despite the additional challenges of her cancer treatment, Serino said her concerns about one party control in Albany, without necessary checks and balances, reaffirmed her decision to run again. Since she shared her diagnosis, she’s also connected with constituents experiencing similar fears and encouraged them to schedule their health screenings. 

Reflecting on the past six years, Serino finds great pride in the accomplishments she’s achieved in office –– namely, securing $1 million in funding to combat Lyme and other tick-borne diseases throughout New York State in 2018, fighting for the lowest middle class tax rates in 70 years and assisting small businesses in reopening during the pandemic. 

She’s also witnessed the frustrating parts of the political process. Early in her tenure, two boys were sexually abused by their Boy Scout troop’s assistant scoutmaster. This incident led Serino to introduce a bill that would require people over the age of 18 working with children to report suspected abuse to law enforcement. Though it passed unanimously in the State Senate, the bill still has not moved. 

“That part is frustrating, but I’m not willing to give up the fight,” Serino said. 

On Nov. 3, Serino will face Democratic challenger Karen Smythe, a rematch from the 2018 election. Two years ago, Smythe lost by just 688 votes. 

“I think in 2018, people really voted along party lines,” Serino said. “I think this year, it’s really important that voters see how important it is to vote for the person, not the party … People realize that we need balance more than ever. One party control, especially if it happens at the federal or the state level, is just a disaster waiting to happen.” 

Smythe and Serino will participate in a virtual candidate forum on Oct. 21. Smythe challenged the senator to an additional debate ahead of absentee ballot arrivals. Serino declined, saying that the three debates from the previous matchup and the upcoming candidate forum will suffice: “My time and energy really have to be directed to getting our neighbors what they need to get through this time period. There are still people that need our help, and that’s got to be my top priority.” 

Roberto Leito, a junior at Fordham University, started interning for Serino in the fall of 2017. He recalled when Serino joined forces with Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D-Columbia, Dutchess) to successfully sponsor legislation for New York State to establish guidelines for tanker avoidance zones.

“You don’t get the partisanship with her at all, and I think that’s the best thing about Sue … at least for me, nowadays, politics and representation is just so political. With her, it just doesn’t feel political –– it feels community-based, and that’s how it should be,” Leito said. 

Amelia Morel, a Marist senior and another former intern for Serino, left her time at Serino’s office with a similar impression: “She’s a good leader for this area. She just seems to genuinely care about her people. She is a Republican, but I don’t really think she’s very partisan. It seems like she’s just trying to help her community and her area that she represents.” 

Serino said her family will sometimes ask her how much longer she thinks she will continue in political office. 

“While the good outweighs the bad, I continue to want to do it. The response has been great from people, but it all depends on who comes out to the polls,” Serino said.