Betty Little

Elizabeth O'Connor Little (born September 28, 1940) is a former New York State Senator. A member of the Republican Party, she was first elected in 2002. She served in the 45th Senate District, which includes all or part of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Warren and Washington Counties.[1]

Betty Little during an interview
Betty Little
Member of the New York Senate from the 45th District
In office
January 1, 2003 – December 31, 2020
Preceded byRonald B. Stafford
Succeeded byDan Stec
Member of the New York Assembly from the 109th District
In office
November 8, 1995 – December 31, 2002
Preceded byJames P. King
Succeeded byRobert Prentiss
Personal details
Born (1940-09-28) September 28, 1940
Glens Falls, New York
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceQueensbury, New York
Alma materCollege of St. Rose (B.A.)
WebsiteOfficial website

Background

Little was born in Glens Falls on September 28, 1940.[2] Little is a graduate of the College of Saint Rose with a degree in Elementary Education.[3] She has worked as both teacher and a realtor.[4]

Little has six children and seventeen grandchildren.[5] She is divorced.[6]

Political career

Little first entered public service as a member and later Chair of the Town of Queensbury Recreation Commission.[6] In 1986 she was elected to serve as an At-Large Supervisor to the Warren County Board of Supervisors for the Town of Queensbury, where she served on numerous boards and committees and as County Budget Officer in 1990 and 1991.[7]

In 1995, Little won a special election to serve in the New York State Assembly, and would serve in the Assembly until winning election to the Senate in 2002.[8]

New York Senate

In 2002, incumbent Republican Senator Ronald B. Stafford decided not to seek another term.[9] As a result, Little announced that she would run to replace him.[10] Despite the district being competitive on paper, Little easily won election to her first term in the Senate against Democrat Boyce Sherwin, 77% to 23%.[11]

Since her initial election, Little has never faced serious opposition, and was unopposed in 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014.[12] She faced the closest election of her career in 2018, but still won 64% to 36%.[13]

After the appointment of Kirsten Gillibrand to the United States Senate in January 2009, Little expressed interest in running for U.S. Congress in New York's 20th congressional district and announced her intention to seek the Republican nomination for the special election for the seat.[14] The nomination went instead to Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco.[15]

Before the Republicans lost the Senate majority in the 2018 elections, Little served as Chair of the Housing, Construction and Community Development Committee.[5]

In December 2019, Little announced that she would not seek re-election the following year.[16]

Healthcare

Little has said she believes universal health care should be passed at the federal level to avoid unduly burdening the state.[17]

Same-sex marriage

Little voted "No" on same-sex marriage legislation in December 2009 and the bill received no Republican Senate support.[18] Little has said she supports civil unions. In 2011, Little voted against the Marriage Equality Act, which the Senate passed 33-29.[19] The 2011 bill became law.[20]

References
  1. LoTemplio, Joe. "Sen. Little's Plattsburgh office to close". Press-Republican.
  2. Moore, Kathleen. "Sen. Betty Little and challenger Emily Martz spar over abortion rights". Glens Falls Post-Star. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  3. Moore, Kathleen. "Little wins big over Martz". Press-Republican. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  4. Mann, Brian. "State ed officials face "common core" rage". NCPR. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  5. LoTemplio, Joe. "State Sen. Betty Little to run again". Press-Republican. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  6. Hornbeck, Leigh (2016-08-26). "Betty Little: Q&A on women in politics". Times Union. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  7. "Little won re-election by a wide margin | News, Sports, Jobs - Adirondack Daily Enterprise". Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  8. Mann, Brian. "Betty Little wins ninth term in NYS Senate 45 race". NCPR. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  9. "Editorial: Political gamesmanship means loss to North Country". Press-Republican. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  10. LoTemplio, Joe. "Sen. Little to seek re-election after rumors of retirement". Glens Falls Post-Star. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  11. "Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 45 Race - Nov 05, 2002". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  12. "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Elizabeth O'C. "Betty" Little". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  13. "Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 45 Race - Nov 06, 2018". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  14. "Betty Little Announces Plans To Replace Gillibrand". Hearst Stations Inc. on behalf of WPTZ-TV. 2009-01-23. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
  15. "New York State Senator Betty Little Archives". Fort Ticonderoga Blog. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  16. "Breaking: Sen. Betty Little announces she will not seek re-election in 2020". Northcountrypublicradio.org. 2019-12-05. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
  17. "Martz wants to pass bills Little hasn't | News, Sports, Jobs - Adirondack Daily Enterprise". Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  18. Mann, Brian (June 15, 2011). "North Country Sen. Betty Little "a No vote" on gay marriage". The In Box. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  19. Johnston, Garth (2011-06-25). "FINALLY: NY State Senate Passes Gay Marriage". Gothamist. Archived from the original on 2018-05-18. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  20. Confessore, Nicholas; Barbaro, Michael (24 June 2011). "New York Allows Same-Sex Marriage, Becoming Largest State to Pass Law". The New York Times.
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