# Peter Harckham

Peter Harckham (born September 16, 1960) is an American businessman and politician from the State of New York. A Democrat, Harckham represents Senate District 40 in the New York State Senate. He was first elected in 2018, defeating incumbent Terrence Murphy. The 40th district includes parts of Rockland, Putnam and Westchester counties in the Hudson Valley.
Before serving in the Senate, Harckham was a member of the Westchester County Board of Legislators and served in the administration of Andrew Cuomo.

## Background

Harckham grew up in the Hudson Valley, residing in Rockland County for most of his childhood. He attended Clarkstown High School North, before attending Dickinson College, where he graduated in English.
Harckham began his career in the advertising sector, working on Madison Avenue in the 1980s. Today he continues to work in media and advertising, and owns his own business based in the Hudson Valley.
Prior to elected office, Harckham served as President for a not for profit housing corporation that builds affordable housing in northern Westchester County. Prior to that, Harckham served as Vice Chair of the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation, a San Francisco-based private foundation that supports the sustainable management of natural resources.
In 2007, Harckham was first elected to the Westchester County Board of Legislators, winning again in 2009, 2011, and 2013. He ran unsuccessfully for the New York State Assembly in a 2010 special election. He served for four terms as a county legislator, including two terms as Democratic Majority Leader. As County Legislator, he created tax breaks for first responders, lowered county taxes, and approved term limits for county legislators.
In 2012 he was a pledged elector for president Barack Obama in the electoral college. In 2015 he left the legislature to work in the administration of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as assistant director of the Office of Community Renewal. In that position he helped administer grants in the lower Hudson Valley.

## New York Senate

In 2018, Harckham was recruited to run against incumbent Republican state Senator Terrence Murphy. Murphy had represented Senate District 40 since 2015. While the district was competitive, Murphy was believed to be a formidable candidate who was less vulnerable than some of his GOP colleagues. However, in an overwhelmingly Democratic election year, Harckham defeated Murphy, 51% to 49%.
Harckham was sworn in on January 1, 2019, by Governor Andrew Cuomo. In the Senate, he is serving as Chair of the Environmental Conservation Committee.
Harckham was reelected to the Senate in 2020 in a race against former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino. Astorino conceded three weeks after election day. The count was delayed due to an increase in mail-in voting due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as a lawsuit filed by Astorino prior to election day challenging the security of the election.
Harckham serves on the Committee on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse and the Joint Senate Task Force on Opioids, Addiction & Overdose Prevention. He is also a member of the Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs committee. In the Senate, he has authored several environmental bills including Save the Huson to clean up the Huson River, and the protection of wetlands and drinking water supplies in New York.

## Electoral history
### Westchester County Legislature

Westchester County Legislature 2nd District 2007 General Election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Peter B. Harckham | 5,726 | 49.94% |
| | Working Families | Peter B. Harckham | 190 | 1.66% |
| | Total | Peter B. Harckham | 5,916 | 51.59% |
| | Republican | Peter Michaelis | 4,591 | 40.04% |
| | Independence | Peter Michaelis | 496 | 4.33% |
| | Conservative | Peter Michaelis | 464 | 4.05% |
| | Total | Peter Michaelis | 5,551 | 48.41% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 11,467 | 100% |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |
Westchester County Legislature 2nd District 2009 General Election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Peter B. Harckham | 5,903 | 81.99% |
| | Independence | Peter B. Harckham | 1,031 | 14.32% |
| | Working Families | Peter B. Harckham | 266 | 3.69% |
| | Total | Peter B. Harckham (incumbent) | 7,200 | 100.00% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 7,200 | 100% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |
Westchester County Legislature 2nd District 2011 General Election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Peter B. Harckham | 5,160 | 48.66% |
| | Independence | Peter B. Harckham | 418 | 3.94% |
| | Working Families | Peter B. Harckham | 261 | 2.46% |
| | Total | Peter B. Harckham (incumbent) | 5,839 | 55.06% |
| | Republican | Peter Michaelis | 3,969 | 37.43% |
| | Conservative | Peter Michaelis | 796 | 7.51% |
| | Total | Peter Michaelis | 4,765 | 44.94% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 10,604 | 100% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |
Westchester County Legislature 2nd District 2013 Independence Party Primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independence | Peter B. Harckham | 164 | 57.14% |
| | write-in | Andrea Rendo | 118 | 41.12% |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 5 | 1.74% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 287 | 100% |
Westchester County Legislature 2nd District 2013 General Election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Peter B. Harckham | 6,312 | 47.33% |
| | Independence | Peter B. Harckham | 411 | 3.08% |
| | Working Families | Peter B. Harckham | 313 | 2.35% |
| | Total | Peter B. Harckham (incumbent) | 7,036 | 52.76% |
| | Republican | Andrea Rendo | 5,331 | 39.98% |
| | Conservative | Andrea Rendo | 968 | 7.26% |
| | Total | Andrea Rendo | 6,299 | 47.24% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 13,335 | 100% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### New York State Assembly

New York's 89th Assembly District 2010 Special Election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Robert Castelli | 5,244 | 41.60% |
| | Conservative | Robert Castelli | 918 | 7.28% |
| | Independence | Robert Castelli | 804 | 6.38% |
| | Total | Robert Castelli | 6,966 | 55.26% |
| | Democratic | Peter B. Harckham | 5,329 | 42.28% |
| | Working Families | Peter B. Harckham | 310 | 2.46% |
| | Total | Peter B. Harckham | 5,639 | 44.74% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 12,605 | 100% |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic |

### New York State Senate

New York's 40th Senatorial District 2018 Democratic Primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Peter B. Harckham | 11,647 | 53.51% |
| | Democratic | Robert T. Kesten | 10,119 | 46.49% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 21,766 | 100% |
New York's 40th Senatorial District 2018 General Election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Peter B. Harckham | 59,560 | 49.44% |
| | Working Families | Peter B. Harckham | 1,777 | 1.47% |
| | Women's Equality | Peter B. Harckham | 818 | 0.68% |
| | Total | Peter B. Harckham | 62,155 | 51.59% |
| | Republican | Terrence P. Murphy | 49,730 | 41.28% |
| | Conservative | Terrence P. Murphy | 6,550 | 5.44% |
| | Independence | Terrence P. Murphy | 1,681 | 1.40% |
| | Reform | Terrence P. Murphy | 360 | 0.30% |
| | Total | Terrence P. Murphy (incumbent) | 58,321 | 48.41% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 120,476 | 100% |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |
New York's 40th Senatorial District 2020 General Election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Peter B. Harckham | 77,412 | 47.92% |
| | Working Families | Peter B. Harckham | 5,466 | 3.38% |
| | Independence | Peter B. Harckham | 939 | 0.58% |
| | Total | Peter B. Harckham (incumbent) | 83,817 | 51.88% |
| | Republican | Rob Astorino | 69,867 | 43.25% |
| | Conservative | Rob Astorino | 7,276 | 4.50% |
| | Rebuild Our State | Rob Astorino | 545 | 0.34% |
| | Total | Rob Astorino | 77,688 | 48.09% |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 49 | 0.03% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 161,554 | 100% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |