Zack Litchfield
From Usgs
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| Senior Senator-New York | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In Office: 2011-Present | ||||
| Preceded by | Mathew Wilson | |||
| Succeeded by | Incumbent | |||
| Born | July 4, 1970 Albany, New York | |||
| Political Party | Democratic Party | |||
| Spouse | Arianna Marissa Litchfield | |||
| Religion | Atheist | |||
Contents |
Early Life
Charles Zachery Litchfield, was born to parents Alvin and Louise Litchfield. He grew up in a normal middle class household, in Albany, New York. His father was the Asst. Athletic Director at SUNY-Albany, while his mother was a stay at home mom who took care of Zack and his three younger siblings (Joseph Allen-1975, Julia Rebecca-1982, Charlotte Elizabeth-1984). He attended the local public schools and was very active in many subjects. His teachers noted that Zack was a brilliant and attentive child, never letting any knowledge escape him. By the time he was in Albany High School he was easily able to complete the tasks of class. Zack also had interests outside of school, mainly sports. When younger he played a vast array of sports, including basketball, baseball, soccer, and hockey. However, upon reaching high school he focused strictly on his favorite sport, Football. Zack graduated Albany High, as Valedictorian with a 4.9 GPA and also as an all-American wide reciever. He recieved multiple athletic and academic scholarship offers, including offers from Harvard, Stanford, California, Michigan and Florida. He eventually choose the University of Florida, to play for new coach Steve Spurrier.
College
University of Florida
Zack entered the college ranks, both as an deeply dedicated student, and star football player. Unfortunately for him, his ultimate dream of being a star collge football player came to an end, before his first down. While driving from Jacksonville International Airport on the way to the University of Florida, Zack was involved in a large accident. His knees were crushed during the accident, cutting circulation off to his lower legs. After being air lifted to Shands Hospital, doctors were able to repair enough damage to allow blood flow to continue, but were unable to repair his knees to be fully functional. He never stepped onto the football field at Florida for a single down.
Despite his inability to play football, his love for school and his brilliance allowed him to stay at the University. He became an asst. to the coaching staff while he continued his education. Majoring in Journalism while helping the coaches allowed him great access to the team, which would lead him to greater things after college. In 1993, he graduated top of his class, with a BA in Journalism.
Columbia University
While working for ESPN in 1996, Zack returned to college. Attending Columbia University, he worked toward earning his degree in Environmental Science. While in attendence, he met his future wife, Arianna Rosello, a political science major. They quickly became a couple and were known all around campus, being seen at various events and functions together. Shortly after graduation, Zack and Arianna were married, in an elaborate ceremony at Columbia University.
Zack continued his education after recieveing his job with the state of New York, this continuing his research into Ecology. Working along side his professors, he specialized in the effects of major natural disasters, and their effect on ecosystems. He graduated in 1999, with his Masters in Ecology, and with a renown paper on natural disasters.
Pre-Political Career
ESPN
Upon graduation, and due to his connections with the University of Florida football program, Zack was offered a job with ESPN doing regional reporting across the southeast and Florida. For three years, he crossed the southeast, doing both sideline reporting for ESPN, as well as doing articles for both local and national newspapers. In 1996 he returned college and reported less for ESPN, while he was attending Columbia earning his BA in Environmental Science. Following the 1996 Football season, he left ESPN. His final reporting job was the 1996 National Championship game, between Florida State and his Alma Matter, Florida.
State of New York
Afterleaving ESPN, and while still earning his Masters in Ecology, Zack took a job with the State of New York doing environmental research. He spent ample time in the parks and lakes of New York, researching various environmental aspects from air and water quality to tree growth. He became a vary respected member of the ecological community both in New York, and the northeast in general. His specialty in Natural Disasters proved to be useful to the State of New York, and he recieved various promotions, eventually becoming the head environmental researcher for the State. In 2002 however, the Journalistic world would again come calling, seeking someone with his specific skills.
CNN
In 2002, Zack left the State of New York to take a job with CNN. They had been seeking a person with the set of skills which Zack displayed. He traveled the world, covering major natural disasters and their resulting effects on the ecology and society of the area they effected. He covered the Bam Earthquake in 2003, the 2004 Hurricane Season, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Kenna in Mexico, and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and Earthquake. Zack spent four weeks covering the Indian Ocean Tsunami, and spent extensive time and effort to help those effected. He helped to bring the plight of those effected to the American people, allowing them to know just how bad the damage was.
While working for CNN, Zack was considered for many awards specifically for his coverage of the 2004 Tsunami. He was nominated for the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, and Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. He was nominated for and won the National Journalism Award for Environmental and Public Service Reporting. While he was applauded for his reporting of the 2004 Tsunami, the world traveling began to take its toll on his young family, and he decided to leave his job with CNN and take a job closer to his family.
State University of New York-Albany
Zack took a job as an associate professor at the SUNY-Albany in 2005. This job brought him closer to home and allowed him to give back to the community around him. However, after only a few short weeks, he began to directly notice the needs of his students, and how inadequate the education system in New York and the nation was. He became increasingly politically active, and used his position as a professor to help organize student rallies. He became an advisor to the University Democratic Party and began to bring the ideas and needs of the students he taught to the local and state government. After only one year at the university, his students and other supporters pushed for him to run for the US House, to replace outgoing Representative Michael McNulty.
Political Career
2006 Election and First Term
Zack ran for the US House in 2006, with wide support of the Albany student body and outgoing representative Michael McNulty. His campaign was managed by his wife, Arianna. It was clear from the begining of the campaign that Zack would easily win the election against Republican candidate, Warren Redlich and Green candidate Vikki O'Donald. During the campaign he would poll as high as 91% of voters asked, including 96% of students. However as election day approached closer, attacks from the Redlich campaign about Zack's lack of political experience and knowledge of the area after being away for four years began to wear away at his lead. In the end, Zack won the election although with a lower amount of support that his earlier polls.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrat | Zack Litchfield | 205,174 | 83.9% | |
| Republican | Warren Redlich | 31,455 | 12.8% | |
| Green | Vikki O'Donald | 7,626 | 3.3% | |
| Total | 244,255 | |||
During his first term, he introduce various items of legislation to help the environment including raising CAFE standards. He was an active part of the Democratic Caucus and voted to raise the minimum wage, along with other democratic proposals. He was well liked by his collegues on both sides of the aisle and was thought of as being dedicated to his job. He held high approval ratings in his district, and still held almost unanimous support among students, polling at 98%.
2008 Election and Second Term
In 2008, Zack ran for a second term. He ran unopposed, with large support from the students of the region, as well as from local politicians from both parties. He introduced some legislation during his short second term, however shortly after re-election he left office and returned to serve the entire Northeast as Lt. Governor.
Lt. Governor Appointment
Governor Hudson, whom Zack had come to become good friends with, selected him to fill the vacant Lt. Governor seat shortly after taking office in 2009. He wasted no time introducing popular legislation including the Regional Parks Act, Election Holiday Act, Northeast Reading Initiative Act, and the Right to Privacy Amendment. While serving as the Governor's right hand man, he also introduced two controversial bills, the Gender Neutral Marriage Act and the Death Penalty Removal Act. While Governor Hudson signed the GNMA, he vetoed the Death Penalty Removal Act, and the attempted veto override was unsucessful. Zack was also closely tied to the very controversial Smoking Ban Act, however this association has not harmed him in his later career.
In 2011, after close friend Frankie Bernstein was diagnosed with cancer and resigned her seat, and the unknown Matthew Wilson was appointed and then resigned, Zack received an appointment to the Senate.
2011 Senate Appointment and 2012 Election
After his appointment in 2011, Zack went quickly to work introducing legislation and getting back to work for New York. He quietly worked to push forward the agenda of New York while in the Senate, an co-sponsored many pieces of pro-equality, pro-labor legislation. After only one year of service, Zack faced Ray D'Ambra, Northeast Minority Leader in the 2012 race for New York Senate.
Shortly after the race began, family issues forced Mr. D'Ambra to conceed the race to Senator Litchfield, allowing him to win the race unopposed. Before the concession, the two were tied in the polls, with both taking 38% of voters with the remaining 24% undecided about who to support. Analysts had predicted a likely win for the Senator, due to the strong democratic lean of the state.
