Westchester County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026

Nathalia Fernandez is the Democratic candidate for New York Senate District 34 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the State Board of Elections' certified general-election ballot. Nathalia Fernandez is a sitting member for the district, per the State Senate's member directory. Fernandez, the first Latina to represent the 34th Senate District, was first elected to the Assembly in 2018 and previously served as the governor's Bronx representative, per her official Senate page. She chairs the Senate Alcoholism and Substance Use Disorders Committee and co-chairs the Joint Senate Task Force on Opioids, Addiction and Overdose Prevention, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 9, 2026; the State Board of Elections' certification is the only verifiable source for Nathalia Fernandez.

Andrea Stewart-Cousins is the incumbent New York State Senator for District 35 and the Senate Majority Leader, the first woman to hold that position, per nysenate.gov.

Anthony J. Merante is the Republican candidate for New York Senate District 35 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the State Board of Elections' certified general-election ballot. Merante is a Westchester County native and certified public accountant who served two terms on the Yonkers City Council representing its 6th District, per his campaign site. He is a small business owner and has been endorsed by the Westchester County Republican Committee and the Asian American Republican Committee, per the same source.

Jamaal T. Bailey is the Democratic candidate for New York Senate District 36 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the State Board of Elections' certified general-election ballot. Jamaal T. Bailey is a sitting member for the district, per the State Senate's member directory. Bailey, a lifelong Bronx resident elected to the Senate in November 2016, holds a bachelor's degree from SUNY Albany and a law degree from CUNY School of Law, per his official Senate page. Before his election he served six years as District Leader of the 83rd Assembly District and as community relations director for Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie; he now chairs the Senate Insurance Committee, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 9, 2026; the State Board of Elections' certification is the only verifiable source for Jamaal T. Bailey.

Shelley B. Mayer is the Democratic candidate for New York Senate District 37 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the State Board of Elections' certified general-election ballot. Shelley B. Mayer is a sitting member for the district, per the State Senate's member directory. Mayer is the incumbent state senator for District 37, where she has focused on education advocacy and veterans' affairs, per her official Senate page. She was named chair of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee in August 2026, per City & State New York.

Peter B. Harckham is the Democratic candidate for New York Senate District 40 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the State Board of Elections' certified general-election ballot. Peter B. Harckham is a sitting member for the district, per the State Senate's member directory. Harckham is the incumbent state senator for District 40, representing the Hudson Valley. His legislative work has focused on first responders and emergency services, clean energy, and state funding for local infrastructure and senior programs, per his official Senate page.

Sergio J. Esposito is the Republican candidate for New York Senate District 40 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the State Board of Elections' certified general-election ballot. Esposito is a Yorktown Councilman and Deputy Supervisor who also works as a Deputy Sheriff and first responder, per his campaign site. He is a former president of the Yorktown Chamber of Commerce and has lived in Yorktown for more than 30 years.

Amy Paulin is a full-time legislator who chairs the Assembly Health Committee and has represented District 88 since 2001, per the Assembly's member page. Born and raised in Brooklyn, she has lived in Scarsdale for more than four decades and previously served as executive director of My Sisters' Place and on the Scarsdale Village Board of Trustees, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 9, 2026; the State Board of Elections' certification is the only verifiable source for Amy Paulin.

J. Gary Pretlow began his career in retail management, serving as manager of accounting at Bloomingdale's department store, before co-founding the financial planning and consulting firm Moncur-Pretlow & Company in 1985, per the Assembly's member page. He was elected to the Mount Vernon City Council that same year and has represented Assembly District 89 since 1992, where he chairs the Racing and Wagering Committee, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 9, 2026; the State Board of Elections' certification is the only verifiable source for J Gary Pretlow.

Frank Jereis is a lifelong Yonkers resident who serves as chief of staff to Assemblymember Sayegh and executive director of the Yonkers Democratic Party, per his campaign site. He has been a Democratic district leader for more than five years and previously worked at the Yonkers Commission on Human Rights, per the same source.

John Isaac is a Yonkers resident and small businessman who immigrated to the United States in 1986, and serves as vice president at Forest Hills Financial Group, per the Yonkers Times. He describes his priorities as fiscal accountability in state spending, repealing the state's bail reform laws, and stronger support for law enforcement, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 9, 2026; the State Board of Elections' certification is the only verifiable source for John Isaac.

Steven Otis served as Mayor of Rye for 12 years, the longest-serving mayor in the city's history, before his election to the Assembly, per the Assembly's member page. He holds a law degree from Hofstra University School of Law and a master's degree in public administration from NYU, and has spent more than 30 years on the board of directors of the New York State Association of Conservation Commissions, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 9, 2026; the State Board of Elections' certification is the only verifiable source for Steven Otis.

MaryJane C. Shimsky is a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, who has lived in Westchester County's Rivertowns area for 30 years and served on the Westchester County Board of Legislators from 2011 to 2022, focusing on environmental protection, infrastructure and public health, per the Assembly's member page. She graduated from Yale University, earned a law degree from New York University School of Law, and holds a PhD in history from the City University of New York, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 9, 2026; the State Board of Elections' certification is the only verifiable source for MaryJane C. Shimsky.

Chris Burdick served for seven years as Supervisor of the Town of Bedford and worked as an attorney, including as chief underwriting counsel at Stewart Title Insurance Company of New York, before joining the Assembly in January 2021, per the Assembly's member page. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics and history from UC Berkeley, a master's degree in international studies from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and a law degree from Seton Hall Law School, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 9, 2026; the State Board of Elections' certification is the only verifiable source for Chris Burdick.

Braille Diaz, 23, was raised in Mount Kisco from age four and studied philosophy and theology in Florence, Italy, per his campaign site. He works as a Fire Equipment Inspector, volunteers as a Mount Kisco firefighter, and serves on the Mount Kisco Ethics Board, per his campaign site.

Matthew J. Slater previously worked as chief of staff to former state Senator Terrence Murphy for four years and was elected the youngest town supervisor of Yorktown in 2019, per the Assembly's member page. He holds a Presidential Direct Commission as an officer in the Navy Reserves assigned to the Military Sealift Command in Norfolk, Virginia, and earned an MPA from Marist College in 2010, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 9, 2026; the State Board of Elections' certification is the only verifiable source for Matthew J. Slater.

Dana Levenberg worked in advertising and TV production in New York City before serving as chief of staff to Assemblywoman Sandy Galef and nine years on the Ossining School Board, per the Assembly's member page. She later served as Ossining Town Supervisor, founded the Ossining Micro Fund and co-established Open Arms for Refugees, and holds a bachelor's degree from Brown University in international relations, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 9, 2026; the State Board of Elections' certification is the only verifiable source for Dana Levenberg.