Harckham’s Leadership on Environment, School Funding Merits Re-election
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
With Election Day less than a month away, I want to express my strong support for Pete Harckham’s re-election as our state senator.
Sen. Harckham has been a dedicated advocate for New York and our district, and he embodies the kind of leadership we need now more than ever. Across the country, far-right extremism has taken hold, corrupting our system of government. Without leaders like Pete Harckham, our government could fall into the hands of people focused on spreading fear and division through lies and distortions for political gain.
During his tenure, Sen. Harckham has secured record investments in school funding, protected our air and water from pollution, passed some of the strongest climate protection laws in the nation, provided tax relief for the middle class, raised the minimum wage, lowered prescription drug costs, passed common-sense gun safety measures and defended women’s reproductive rights. He has worked tirelessly on our behalf, collaborating with leaders from both parties in a truly bipartisan manner.
Most recently, he has been a vocal supporter of Proposition 1, the New York Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which strengthens women’s reproductive rights. The ERA offers a constitutional safeguard against efforts to undermine these rights in New York, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022.
In contrast, Sen. Harckham’s opponent is running on the tired, far-right claim that the ERA is putting girls’ sports at risk. This is fearmongering at its worst. The only attack that girls’ sports are facing is by those claiming to “save” them.
So how does the far right suggest we “save girls’ sports”? By tracking young female athletes’ menstrual cycles? By requiring invasive exams? By interviewing fellow athletes to find out if they’ve seen their friend or teammate naked?
Unfortunately, these aren’t hypothetical concerns; they are real proposals being considered or already in practice. Parents should be far more alarmed by these invasive, degrading measures than by the false notion that girls’ sports are in danger. If a candidate’s platform relies on this kind of fearmongering, it’s clear they care more about exploiting false fears to gain power than representing the people.
I urge everyone to join me in supporting Pete Harckham for state Senate and voting yes on Prop 1, the New York Equal Rights Amendment. If you think these protections aren’t necessary, just look to other parts of the country where far-right extremists in power are pushing invasive policies on the citizens they represent in the name of saving them.
Steve Shaw
Yorktown Heights
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