David J. Valesky (b.

circa Circa is a word of Latin origin meaning 'approximately'. Circa or CIRCA may also refer to: * CIRCA (art platform), art platform based in London * Circa (band), a progressive rock supergroup * Circa (company), an American skateboard footwear com ...

1966) is an American politician who is a former member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, Valesky represented the 53rd Senate District and the 49th Senate District in upstate New York.

Career

Valesky was first elected to the State Senate in 2004 when he defeated longtime incumbent Sen. Nancy Larraine Hoffmann (R-Fabius). Hoffman was challenged in a Republican primary by Tom Dadey. While Hoffmann defeated Dadey, Dadey remained in the race on third-party lines. Valesky prevailed in the three-way race. He took office as a state senator in January 2005. In 2011, Valesky joined with Jeffrey D. Klein, Diane Savino, and

David Carlucci David S. Carlucci ( ; born April 3, 1981) is an American politician in Rockland County, New York. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the state senator for the 38th district, which includes most of Rockland County and parts of Westcheste ...

to form the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC). On April 16, 2018, the IDC was dissolved and Valesky returned to the Senate Democratic Conference. In the 2018 Democratic primary, Valesky was defeated by

Rachel May Rachel May is an American academic, university administrator, and politician. She is a member of the New York State Senate, representing the 48th district since 2023, and the 53rd district from 2019-2022. The district comprises Syracuse, New ...

. Valesky received 46.66% of the primary vote to May's 50.47%. All eight former members of the IDC faced progressive primary challenges in 2018, and six were defeated.

References

External links

New York State Senate: David J. ValeskyDavid J. Valesky's Official Webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valesky, David Living people Democratic Party New York (state) state senators State University of New York at Potsdam alumni University of Connecticut alumni 1960s births People from Oneida, New York 21st-century American politicians Independent Democratic Conference