Roy J. McDonald

Roy J. McDonald (born April 12, 1947) is a Republican politician and former member of the New York State Legislature who represented the 43rd District in the New York State Senate and Districts 100 and 112 in the New York State Assembly. McDonald served as Town and County Supervisor for the Town of Wilton, New York for 23 years. Following his tenure as Supervisor, McDonald served in the Assembly from 2002 to 2008 and served in the Senate from 2009 to 2012.

Roy McDonald
Member of the New York State Senate
from the 43rd district
In office
January 7, 2009 – December 31, 2012
Preceded byJoseph Bruno
Succeeded byKathy Marchione
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 112th district
In office
January 8, 2003 – December 31, 2008
Preceded byDierdre Scozzafava
Succeeded byTony Jordan
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 100th district
In office
February 12, 2002 – December 31, 2002
Preceded byRobert D'Andrea
Succeeded byThomas Kirwan
Personal details
Born (1947-04-12) April 12, 1947[1]
Lansingburgh, Troy, New York
Political partyRepublican
SpouseAngela
ResidenceSaratoga, New York
Alma materState University of New York at Oneonta
WebsiteOfficial website

McDonald is notable as one of four Republican members of the New York State Senate that voted in favor of the Marriage Equality Act in 2011. In 2012, he was defeated in a Republican primary by his eventual successor, Kathy Marchione.

Political career

For 23 years, McDonald was Town and County Supervisor for the Town of Wilton, New York and in 1986, served a term as Chairman of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors.[1][2] His two grandsons have autism, and McDonald has been a leader regarding autism awareness, creating the Saratoga County Autism Council and sponsoring legislation.[2] Before being elected to the New York State Senate in District 43 on November 4, 2008, McDonald had served in the New York State Assembly since 2002, representing the 100th and 112th Districts, respectively. During McDonald's tenure, Senate District 43 included all of Rensselaer County and part of Saratoga County.[3]

Sen. McDonald lost his bid for re-election to the Senate in 2012; he was defeated by Kathleen Marchione in a Republican primary.[4]

2011 same-sex marriage vote

On June 16, 2011, McDonald spoke to the press on his intended support for New York State's upcoming vote on same-sex marriage. In response to the pressure he was receiving from other Republicans to vote against the measure, he is quoted as saying:

You get to the point where you evolve in your life where everything isn't black and white, good and bad, and you try to do the right thing. You might not like that. You might be very cynical about that. Well, fuck it, I don't care what you think. I'm trying to do the right thing. I'm tired of Republican-Democrat politics. They can take the job and shove it. I come from a blue-collar background. I'm trying to do the right thing, and that's where I'm going with this.[5][6]

When same-sex marriage legislation was passed by the Senate on June 24, 2011, Senator McDonald voted "yes."[7] McDonald had previously voted "no" on same-sex marriage legislation in 2009.[8] McDonald was one of four Republican state senators to vote in favor of the bill.[9][10]

Following his vote in favor of same-sex marriage, McDonald and the three other Republican senators who voted in favor of the bill saw a massive increase in fundraising, which included money generated from an event hosted by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.[11][12][13]

2012 re-election campaign

On March 18, 2012, the Saratoga County Republican Party County Committee declined to renominate Senator McDonald for re-election.[14] McDonald did receive the support of the Independence Party of New York.[15]

On April 4, 2012, Saratoga County Clerk Kathleen Marchione announced that she would challenge McDonald in a Republican primary in Senate District 43.[16] One writer commented that the McDonald-Marchione primary contest "could prove to be one of the state's most hotly contested races because of McDonald's recent voting pattern, notably his votes to enact same-sex marriage and Gov. Andrew Cuomo's tax plan."[16]

After a primary contest that was variously described as "divisive",[4] "bitter,"[17] and "nasty,"[18] the results of the McDonald-Marchione race were initially too close to call.[17] Marchione declared victory on September 25, 2012,[4] while McDonald's campaign announced that the senator was considering his options.[19] Marchione defeated McDonald by 99 votes.[20] Later that week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, weighed in on the race by announcing his support for McDonald to continue his re-election bid on a third-party line.[21] Following his primary defeat, McDonald opted to cease his campaign and throw his support to Marchione, stating that he was "very proud of [his] time in public service" and that "[s]tanding up for the communities [he] represented was always [his] first priority".[22][23] Marchione went on to win the general election on November 6, 2012, defeating Democrat Robin Andrews and McDonald (who received 20,929 votes on the Independence Party line despite having suspended his campaign).[24][25]

Following McDonald's loss in his 2012 primary, a Newsday headline described the senator as "a political casualty of same-sex marriage."[26]

References
  1. "Roy McDonald's Biography - Project Vote Smart". Votesmart.org. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  2. "New York State Senate". Nysenate.gov. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  3. "District 43 | New York State Senate". Nysenate.gov. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  4. "Kathy Marchione declares victory in Republican primary for 43rd Senate District". troyrecord.com. 2012-09-25. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  5. Mathias, Christopher (2011-06-16). "Republican NY State Senator Roy McDonald's Awesome Defense Of Gay Marriage; Bloomberg Visits Albany". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  6. Vielkind, Jimmy (2012-09-20). "'Shove it': A portrait of a gay-marriage Republican in limbo". Politico. Retrieved 2018-04-27.
  7. "The New York Times". Mobile.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  8. "Gay Marriage Fails, 24-38 | New York Daily News". Nydailynews.com. 2009-12-02. Archived from the original on May 26, 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  9. Jackson, Nicholas (June 24, 2011). "New York Legislature Legalizes Gay Marriage in 33-29 Vote". The Atlantic.
  10. Confessore, Nicholas; Barbaro, Michael (June 24, 2011). "New York Allows Same-Sex Marriage, Becoming Largest State to Pass Law" – via NYTimes.com.
  11. ""McDonald cashing in on same-sex marriage support" by Capital Region Scene". Dailygazette.com. 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  12. Freedlander, David (September 15, 2012). "Like Gays? See Ya!" – via www.thedailybeast.com.
  13. BEAM, ANDREW. "Republican 43rd State Senate District candidates Roy McDonald, Kathleen Marchione debate ahead of Thursday primary". The Saratogian.
  14. "Saratoga County GOP Balks At McDonald Support". Capital Tonight. 2012-03-17. Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
  15. Cignoli, Michael (2012-03-12). "Senator Roy McDonald gets state Independence Party endorsement". troyrecord.com. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  16. "It's official: Kathy Marchione running for NY Senate seat held by Roy McDonald (with video)". saratogian.com. 2012-04-04. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  17. "Marchione leads McDonald, but absentee ballots will decide primary". Poststar.com. 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  18. Franco, James V. (2012-09-07). "Fair Campaign Practices accuses Kathy Marchione of using unfair campaign tactics". troyrecord.com. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  19. Vielkind, Jimmy (2012-09-25). "Victory out of reach for McDonald". Times Union. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  20. "New York State Board of Elections - September 13, 2012 Primary Vote" (PDF). New York State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  21. "Gov. Cuomo endorses Republican state Roy McDonald who helped cast one of deciding votes to legalize gay marriage - NY Daily News". New York: Articles.nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  22. Kaplan, Thomas (2012-09-27). "Roy J. McDonald, Republican Who Voted for Gay Marriage, Won't Pursue Third-Party Bid". The New York Times.
  23. "Sen. Roy McDonald to leave race after losing GOP Primary | News from". North Country Public Radio. 2012-09-28. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  24. "Kathy Marchione wins 43rd State Senate District". saratogian.com. 2012-11-07. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  25. "NYS Board of Elections Senate Election Returns Nov. 6, 2012" (PDF). Elections.ny.gov. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  26. "Roy McDonald, a political casualty of same-sex marriage - Editorial". Newsday.com. 2012-09-27. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
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