Daphne Jordan

Daphne Veras Jordan (born November 28, 1959) is an American politician and attorney who served as a member of the New York State Senate, representing the 43rd district from 2019 to 2022. The district includes northern portions of the Hudson Valley as well as the eastern portions of the Capital Region. Jordan is a Republican. Prior to her Senate tenure, Jordan served as a member of the town board in Halfmoon, New York.

Early life and education

Daphne Veras was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Veras is of Greek descent. Her paternal family came from Mytilene and Evia, while her maternal family came from Skoura and Kastania.

Veras 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.

Early career

Daphne 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. She was elected to a full term in 2015.

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

Jordan worked as a legislative director for her predecessor, Senator Kathy Marchione.

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. The announcement immediately put the seat into play as a competitive district. Following Marchione's retirement, Jordan announced that she would seek to succeed her.

Jordan described herself as pro-life and pro-Second Amendment. Jordan netted many endorsements 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. Jordan’s election was a positive development for Republicans, especially in the Capital Region.

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.

2022 State Senate election

In May 2022, following redistricting, Republican State Sen. Jim Tedisco announced his intent to move into the newly constituted 44th Senate District from his new 46th Senate District to challenge Jordan for the seat. This action caused controversy. 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'".

Jordan's name remained on the primary ballot, and she received nearly two thousand votes on the Republican line and almost one hundred votes on the Conservative line.

Tenure

As a senator, Jordan called for repeal of New York's cashless bail law.

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.

In 2021, Jordan opposed allowing a large-scale solar farm to be approved under an expedited state siting process.

Jordan opposed various COVID-19 mandates and opposed a COVID-19 eviction moratorium.

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

In September 2022, Jordan called on the Farm Labor Wage Board in Albany to reject a reduction of the farmworker overtime threshold from 60 hours to 40 hours.

Jordan introduced bipartisan legislation to honor philanthropist Marylou Whitney 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.

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 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 Counties.

Personal life

Jordan is married to Phil Jordan. The Jordans reside in Halfmoon, New York and have two sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Daphne
Living people
21st-century American women politicians
Republican Party New York (state) state senators
Women state legislators in New York (state)
People from Halfmoon, New York
New York (state) city council members
Dickinson School of Law alumni
Lehigh University alumni
American people of Greek descent
1959 births
Women city councillors in New York (state)
21st-century members of the New York State Legislature