Daphne Jordan

Daphne Jordan
Jordan in 2019
Member of the New York State Senate
from the 43rd district
In office
January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2022
Preceded byKathy Marchione
Succeeded byJim Tedisco (redistricting)
Personal details
Born (1959-11-28) November 28, 1959
PartyRepublican
Alma materLehigh University (BA)
Penn State University (JD)
WebsiteOfficial website

Daphne Veras Jordan is an American politician and attorney from the state of New York. A Republican, Jordan represented the 43rd district in the New York State Senate from 2019 to 2022. During Jordan's tenure, Senate District 43 included Columbia County and portions of Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Washington counties. Prior to her Senate tenure, Jordan served as a member of the town board in Halfmoon, New York.

Early life and education

Jordan was born Daphne Veras in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1][2]

Jordan is of Greek descent. Her paternal ancestors came from Mytilene and Evia, while her maternal ancestors came from Skoura and Kastania.[2]

Jordan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and English from Lehigh University in 1981. She earned a Juris Doctor from Penn State Dickinson Law in 1984.[3]

Early career

Jordan served on the Halfmoon Planning Board and the Halfmoon Zoning Board of Appeals. In 2014, Jordan was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Halfmoon Town Board.[4] She was elected to a full term in 2015.[5]

Jordan served as a Trustee, Member of the Executive Committee, and Treasurer for the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library.[6]

Jordan worked as a legislative director for her predecessor in the State Senate, Kathy Marchione.[4]

New York State Senate

Elections

2018 State Senate election

In 2018, Republican Senator Kathy Marchione announced that she would not seek reelection in Senate District 43 that fall.[7] Marchione's announcement immediately put District 43 into play as a competitive district.[8] Following Marchione's retirement announcement, Jordan stated that she would run for State Senate in District 43.[9]

Jordan described herself as pro-life and pro-Second Amendment. Jordan netted many endorsements,[10] running on a platform that she said would serve as a check and balance to Governor Andrew Cuomo and the powerful New York City Democrats. Jordan opposed sanctuary cities and free college for undocumented immigrants. Jordan defeated Democrat Aaron Gladd, 67,377 votes to 59,615 votes.[11][12]

2020 State Senate election

Jordan was re-elected to the State Senate in 2020, winning her race over Democratic challenger Patrick Nelson by a margin of 86,146 to 77,425.[13]

2022 State Senate election

In May 2022, following redistricting,[14] Republican State Sen. Jim Tedisco announced his intent to move into the newly redrawn 44th Senate District to challenge Jordan for the seat. This action caused controversy.[15] On June 14, 2022, Jordan announced that she would not seek re-election to the Senate. Jordan accused Tedisco of "creating a 'circus atmosphere' in the campaign", commenting: "'I want no part of this sideshow. I’m not going to play a political game that would be destructive, divisive, and undermine the principles that I care deeply about'".[16]

Jordan's name remained on the primary ballot; she received nearly two thousand votes on the Republican line[17]: SD 44 REP  and almost one hundred votes on the Conservative line.[17]: SD 44 CON 

Tenure

During Jordan's tenure, Senate District 43 included Columbia County and portions of Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Washington counties.[18]

Jordan voted against the Reproductive Health Act, which codified abortion rights in New York. During the January 22, 2019 Senate floor debate on the bill, Jordan stated that "strengthening abortion rights contributes to what she calls a 'throwaway' culture. 'A baby inside its mother is not an inanimate object, it’s a life,' Jordan said. 'Think about what you’re allowing to be tossed away with a yes vote'".[19]

Also in 2019, Jordan opposed a proposal to grant driver licenses to undocumented immigrants. Jordan argued that the measure would jeopardize public safety and open the door to identity theft, voter fraud, and non-citizen voting.[20]

Jordan "proposed legislation that would fund a study into the short-term and long-term costs of separating New York City and the surrounding area from the rest of New York".[21]

During her 2020 re-election campaign, Jordan expressed opposition to tax credits for the film industry and to New York's system of public funding for political campaigns. She also advocated for "a repeal of the state’s bail reform laws" and "joined fellow lawmakers in calling for an independent investigation into the state’s COVID-19-related nursing home deaths".[22]

Jordan opposed allowing a large-scale solar farm to be approved in 2021 under an expedited state siting process.[23]

On March 18, 2022, the American Red Cross named Jordan a Legislator of The Year.[24]

Jordan introduced bipartisan legislation to honor philanthropist Marylou Whitney[25] by designating a portion of the state highway system in the city of Saratoga Springs as "Marylou Whitney Way". Jordan's bill was signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul.[26]

In 2019, Jordan launched an effort to honor the courage of Purple Heart recipients by establishing local Purple Heart Communities across the 43rd Senate District.[27] Within the 43rd District, all 60 towns, villages, and cities are Purple Heart Communities, and all four counties (Saratoga, Rensselaer, Washington, and Columbia) passed local resolutions to become Purple Heart Communities.[28]

Personal life

Jordan is married to Phil Jordan.[29] During Jordan's Senate tenure, she resided with her family in Halfmoon, New York. The Jordans have two sons.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Nothing Is Impossible To Her Who Will". MainStreetMag.com. August 28, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "SENATE DEPUTY LEADER GIANARIS AND NY'S GREEK-AMERICAN LEGISLATORS INTRODUCE RESOLUTION MARKING 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE". Queens Gazette. March 24, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Daphne Jordan". www.nysenate.gov.
  4. ^ a b "Halfmoon Councilwoman announces run for full term". CNWeekly.com. May 8, 2014.
  5. ^ "Saratoga County 2015 General Election Results" (PDF). SaratogaCountyNY.gov. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  6. ^ "BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE" (PDF). townofhalfmoon-ny.gov. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  7. ^ Lombardo, David (April 26, 2018). "State Sen. Kathy Marchione abruptly announces retirement". timesunion.com. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  8. ^ "Options emerge in race to replace Kathy Marchione". timesunion.com. July 29, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  9. ^ "Republican Daphne Jordan Officially Kicks Off Campaign For 43rd Senate District". wamc.org. July 26, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  10. ^ Lyons, Brendan J. (October 8, 2018). "Jordan, Gladd net key endorsements". Times Union. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  11. ^ "Certified Results from the November 6, 2018 General Election for NYS Senate" (PDF). elections.ny.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 20, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  12. ^ "Jordan wins 43rd state Senate District". poststar.com. November 6, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  13. ^ "2020 New York State Senate Election Results". Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  14. ^ "Court releases NY redistricting maps after public review". Yahoo News. May 23, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  15. ^ "Sen. Tedisco barreling ahead in new district over protests from Sen. Jordan, leadership". wamc.org. May 26, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  16. ^ "Sen. Daphne Jordan halts primary campaign for re-nomination". spectrumlocalnews.com. June 14, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  17. ^ a b "NYS BOE, 2022 Primary Election Results". elections.ny.gov. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  18. ^ Syed, Solomon (January 12, 2019). "Daphne Jordan Begins First Term as Senator, Discusses Her Ideas". spectrumlocalnews.com.
  19. ^ DeWitt, Karen (January 23, 2019). "Reproductive Health Act now codifies abortion rights into NY law". NCPR.
  20. ^ "Reader's View: Hit the brakes on licenses for ILLEGAL immigrants". saratogian.com. April 6, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  21. ^ "New New York? Lawmaker Proposes Turning NYC, Long Island Into Its Own State". www.cbsnews.com. February 23, 2019.
  22. ^ Willard, Lucas (October 22, 2020). "Republican NYS Senator Daphne Jordan Seeks Second Term". WAMC.
  23. ^ Sheridan, Johan (April 29, 2021). "Solar farm siting process pits residents against renewables". NEWS10 ABC. News 10. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  24. ^ "Senator Daphne Jordan honored by the American Red Cross". hudsonvalley360.com. March 24, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  25. ^ "Marylou Whitney, Social Queen of the Racing World, Dies at 93". The New York Times. July 19, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  26. ^ "New Saratoga street sign honors late-philanthropist Marylou Whitney". wnyt.com. August 27, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  27. ^ "Hoosick declared a Purple Heart community". benningtonbanner.com. July 28, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  28. ^ "'Rensselaer County Purple Heart Highway' legislation passes State Senate". troyrecord.com. May 27, 2022.
  29. ^ "Snapshot: Daphne Jordan begins term in state Senate". TroyRecord.com. January 11, 2019.
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