News & Press

The Putnam County Democrats have enthusiastically endorsed a strong slate of candidates for office in 2026, expecting to field a nearly full ballot of candidates across town, county, state, and federal races.  The electorate is clamoring for ethical leadership that solves real problems, recognizing that Putnam has been headed in the wrong direction when it comes to quality of life and economic opportunity.

“We believe 2026 is going to be a good year for Democrats, as more voters of all stripes are sickened and exhausted by the chaos and illegality that they are seeing from so-called leaders in the Republican party,” said Jennifer Colamonico, Chair of the Putnam County Democratic Committee. “Current polling indicates that voters are inclined to send Republicans a harsh message in November that we demand leaders who will stand up to autocracy, provide a crucial check and balance on the executive branch, and return the focus on making government work for the rest of us who struggle to afford housing, energy, healthcare, and food while the billionaires are living their best lives.”

The committee took formal endorsement votes in support of the following incumbents:

Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg (Dist 95)

State Senator Peter Harckham (Dist 40)

Putnam Valley Supervisor Alison Jolicoeur and

Philipstown Supervisor John VanTassel.

Across six towns, Putnam Democrats also endorsed the following challengers:

Daniel Guzmán for State Assembly, District 94

Brett Yarris for County Executive

Dr. Michael Strauss for County Coroner

Maya Gilleo for County Legislator, District 2

Kathy Kahng for County Legislator, District 3

Gwendolyn Burke for County Legislator, District 8

Alex Sewell for Kent Town Supervisor

Lynne Eckardt for Southeast Town Supervisor

The endorsement meeting was held immediately following Brett Yarris’ successful kickoff event for his County Executive campaign, which brought together over 200 supporters from all parties and from every town in the county. Brett Yarris is the candidate we need to meet this moment: serious, hard-working, and full of energy with a deep and personal commitment to improve lives and make Putnam possible for all residents and small business owners.

Democratic district leaders, candidates, and volunteers are going door to door to registered Democrats until March 24 to gather petition signatures to get our candidates on the ballot. “This is the first opportunity we get to share our candidates with our voters,” Colamonico noted. “We are seeing such enthusiasm to support a blue ticket across the board.” Note that the NY State Democratic Party has already endorsed Governor Kathy Hochul and Adrienne Adams for Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General Letitia James, and Comptroller Tom DiNapoli - delivering a supermajority of delegate votes to reach the ballot without requiring petition signatures.

In 2025, Democrats in Putnam saw large gains, boosting turnout and flipping key seats in Patterson and Putnam Valley, while retaining seats in Philipstown. While all three legislative candidates lost, including Yarris, they outperformed their districts and all came within 200 or fewer votes. Democratic voter registration continues to grow in Putnam, and Democratic committees in all six towns are seeing an influx of new members and volunteers - all of which is  slowly putting more races in play even in unlikely places.

The committee intends to endorse candidates in competitive primaries for State Senate District 39 and Congressional District 17 at a subsequent meeting in April, considering those who have successfully petitioned on the ballot. “Voters across Putnam are clamoring to vote out Congressman Mike Lawler,” said Chair Jennifer Colamonico. “Our party leaders are listening to voters, carefully evaluating the candidates to ensure we pick the strongest challenger to get the job done.”