Roy Mc Donald (politician) - 2012 Re-Election Bid

2012 Re-Election Bid

On March 18, 2012 the Saratoga County Republican Party County Committee declined to renominate Senator McDonald for reelection for the November 2012 election. According to the Troy Record, Senator McDonald did receive the support of the Independence Party of New York.

On April 4, 2012, Saratoga County Clerk Kathleen Marchione announced that she would challenge Sen. McDonald in a Republican primary in Senate District 43. One writer commented that the McDonald-Marchione primary contest "could prove to be one of the state's most hotly contested races because of McDonald's recent voting pattern, notably his votes to enact same-sex marriage and Gov. Andrew Cuomo's tax plan."

After a primary contest that was variously described as "divisive", "bitter," and "nasty," the results of the McDonald-Marchione race were initially too close to call. Marchione declared victory on September 25, 2012, while Sen. McDonald's campaign announced that the senator was considering his options. Later that week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, weighed in on the race by announcing his support for Sen. McDonald to continue his re-election bid on a third party line. However, Sen. McDonald opted to cease his campaign and throw his support to Marchione, stating that he was "very proud of time in public service" and that "tanding up for the communities represented was always first priority." Marchione went on to win the general election on November 6, 2012.

Following Sen. McDonald's loss in his 2012 primary, a Newsday headline described the senator as "a political casualty of same-sex marriage."