Everything You Need to Know

Spring into Action for Election 2024

A Message from the Chair

Spring is a time of hope and renewal… but to grow our democracy, we need to do the hard work of planting seeds of change, cultivating new growth, and nourishing the fragile shoots with love and attention. Thank you to those who carried and signed petitions to get our candidates on the ballot!

November is not far away. Mobilizing the Democratic vote in every part of Putnam County, from the top to the bottom of the ballot, requires time and/or money. We are planning events and writing ads and campaign literature and looking to open a campaign office.

Please lend us your talent and skills to talk with voters, write letters, manage volunteers, contribute creative design and writing… and more!

URGENTLY, there is a special election in Yorktown on April 16, and all help will be needed to win that supervisor seat. Please volunteer to PHONE or CANVASS either next weekend and/or on election day. Helping any Democrat to flip a seat helps ALL Democrats.

On April 14, we are gathering to meet with Mondaire Jones for a campaign kickoff event featuring our endorsed candidates. Come up to Patterson for brunch and plug yourself in to campaign activity already underway! Check out our Events page to register - and get info about our June 1st Fundraiser!

Visit our new website to view our endorsed candidates, sign up for an upcoming event, and let us know how you’d like to help: phone voters, knock on doors, donate money, write postcards, mobilize your friends and neighbors. All of it is critically important, and none of us can do it alone. One hour per week, a few dollars per month, and we will have blue blooming across Putnam. See you on the campaign trail!

~ Jen Colamonico

Five Questions for Zack Couzens -
our Candidate for AD94

What makes you a Democrat?

ZC)  I am a Democrat because I believe that we the people - and the government we elect - should set out to make a country that is more egalitarian but also more empathetic. I know that the Democratic Party stands for the common good, and for giving everyone a fair shot at life no matter where they’re born or the conditions they have experienced in life.

What excites you about running for office this year?

ZC) I am excited to run because I want to bring new, young, and passionate voices to politics in our area and to the legislature. Running as both a Democrat and a young person, neither of which have had much political representation in our district, I am excited to carry the mantle of these groups to claim a seat at the table. I am also excited to hear what matters to the voters of the 94th Assembly District and how that connects to my experiences growing up here.

What will you bring to the State Assembly that is unique?

ZC) I bring the perspective from the new generation who has experienced a different “New York” and a different approach to politics on all levels. I bring a passion for politics that bridges the gap between generations to make our voices heard in a way that involves cooperation and progress, rather than division and dysfunction.

Who is your political role model?

ZC) President Lyndon B. Johnson was a warrior for social, economic, and racial equality and justice for all Americans. His unrelenting commitment to the causes of the poor and the disadvantaged through his passing of the Civil Rights Act, Great Society, Voting Rights Act, Medicare, and Medicaid has always inspired me, especially shining light on the importance of being an effective legislator and deal maker.

What one thing do you want voters to know about you?

ZC) A big reason for my faith in leadership, public service, and the good work that can come from politics is because of my experience as an Eagle Scout. I am proud to have brought together a group of 20 volunteers to build garden beds to grow produce for food-insecure community members at Northern Westchester Hospital, demonstrating the possibility and benefits of leadership, community work, and serving our friends and neighbors when we work together under a common cause. I genuinely believe that type of work and cooperation is possible in politics, and I plan to use this experience in the Assembly to serve the people of our district.

Your 2024 Calendar of Democracy

•  April 14th - PCDC Kickoff Brunch with Mondaire Jones!

•  May - Voter outreach for state and local races 

• June - Get out the vote for the Primary election 

• June 1 - PCDC Fundraiser!

• July/Aug - Neighbor-to-neighbor outreach, house parties, independent voter contact

• September - Town fundraisers, Democratic voter contact, Putnam Dems convention

• October - Early voting begins - get out the vote canvassing

• November 5th - Election Day!

• December - Candidate recruitment for 2025 local races

Our Endorsed Candidates

Putnam County Dems have endorsed the following candidates for 2024: 

• President Joe Biden

• Vice-President Kamala Harris

• Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

• Mondaire Jones for Congress (NY-17)

• State Senator Pete Harckham (SD 40)

• Yvette Valdes-Smith (SD 39)

• Zachary Couzens (AD 94)

• Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg (AD 95)

• County Legislator Nancy Montgomery (Dist 1)

• Randall Mulkins for County Legislator (Dist 4)

• Regina Gelfer, Putnam Valley Town Clerk

• Sonya Abbye-Taylor, Patterson Town Board