George Latimer: Career Timeline
George Latimer's career in public service stretches across nearly four decades, encompassing positions at the municipal, county, state, and federal levels of New York government. Before entering politics, he spent more than 20 years as a marketing executive in the private sector 1.
After completing his Master of Public Administration at NYU's Wagner School in 1976, Latimer took his first government-adjacent role as a housing coordinator in Mount Vernon, where he helped set up Section 8 housing programs 2. He then moved into the corporate world, working at subsidiaries of Nestle and ITT, with project responsibilities at AT&T, IBM, and Shearson Lehman 1.
Latimer entered elected office in 1987 when he won a seat on the Rye City Council, finishing first among six major-party candidates . He served on the council from 1988 to 1991 4.
In 1991, Latimer was elected to the Westchester County Board of Legislators, becoming the first Democrat to win the 7th District seat representing the City of Rye, the Village of Larchmont, and the Town and Village of Mamaroneck . He was re-elected in 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, and 2001, serving a total of 13 years on the board . During that time, he rose from Minority Leader to Chairman of the Board of Legislators, becoming the first Democrat ever elected to that chairmanship when Democrats won a majority of seats for the first time in 90 years in January 1998 . He served as chairman from 1998 to 2001 . Westchester County Democrats also elected him county Democratic Party chairman in September 2002, a position he held for a two-year term .
In 2004, Latimer won election to the New York State Assembly, representing the 91st District, which included Sound Shore communities such as New Rochelle, Rye Brook, and Port Chester . He served in the Assembly from 2005 to 2012, during which time he authored more than 20 new laws 6.
Following the retirement of State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer in 2012, Latimer ran for and won the New York State Senate seat in the 37th District, which comprised 16 Westchester municipalities including Bedford, Bronxville, Eastchester, Harrison, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Port Chester, Rye, Rye Brook, Tuckahoe, White Plains, and Yonkers 7. He served in the Senate from 2013 to 2017 4.
In 2017, Latimer challenged Republican incumbent Rob Astorino for the position of Westchester County Executive . Running on a platform that emphasized reversing what he characterized as Astorino's obstructionism on desegregation and affordable housing mandates, Latimer won by a 16-point margin, propelled in part by anti-Trump sentiment that generated a blue wave across Westchester . He took office in January 2018 as the ninth County Executive 1. He was re-elected to a second term in November 2021 without significant opposition .
In December 2023, Latimer announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives in New York's 16th Congressional District, challenging incumbent Jamaal Bowman in the June 2024 Democratic primary . He defeated Bowman 58.6% to 41.4% in what became the most expensive congressional primary in American history . Latimer then won the November 2024 general election against Republican Miriam Flisser .
Latimer was sworn in to the 119th United States Congress on January 3, 2025 13. He was assigned to the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Committee on Small Business . He sits on the Middle East and North Africa and South and Central Asia subcommittees of Foreign Affairs, and the Contracting and Infrastructure subcommittee of Small Business 15.
In April 2026, Latimer announced his candidacy for re-election, submitting nearly 10,000 petition signatures . Running unopposed in the Democratic primary scheduled for June 23, 2026, he effectively secured the nomination .
Overview
George Latimer's career in public service stretches across nearly four decades, encompassing positions at the municipal, county, state, and federal levels of New York government. Before entering politics, he spent more than 20 years as a marketing executive in the private sector 1.
After completing his Master of Public Administration at NYU's Wagner School in 1976, Latimer took his first government-adjacent role as a housing coordinator in Mount Vernon, where he helped set up Section 8 housing programs 2. He then moved into the corporate world, working at subsidiaries of Nestle and ITT, with project responsibilities at AT&T, IBM, and Shearson Lehman 1.
Latimer entered elected office in 1987 when he won a seat on the Rye City Council, finishing first among six major-party candidates . He served on the council from 1988 to 1991 4.
In 1991, Latimer was elected to the Westchester County Board of Legislators, becoming the first Democrat to win the 7th District seat representing the City of Rye, the Village of Larchmont, and the Town and Village of Mamaroneck . He was re-elected in 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, and 2001, serving a total of 13 years on the board . During that time, he rose from Minority Leader to Chairman of the Board of Legislators, becoming the first Democrat ever elected to that chairmanship when Democrats won a majority of seats for the first time in 90 years in January 1998 . He served as chairman from 1998 to 2001 . Westchester County Democrats also elected him county Democratic Party chairman in September 2002, a position he held for a two-year term .
In 2004, Latimer won election to the New York State Assembly, representing the 91st District, which included Sound Shore communities such as New Rochelle, Rye Brook, and Port Chester . He served in the Assembly from 2005 to 2012, during which time he authored more than 20 new laws 6.
Following the retirement of State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer in 2012, Latimer ran for and won the New York State Senate seat in the 37th District, which comprised 16 Westchester municipalities including Bedford, Bronxville, Eastchester, Harrison, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Port Chester, Rye, Rye Brook, Tuckahoe, White Plains, and Yonkers 7. He served in the Senate from 2013 to 2017 4.
In 2017, Latimer challenged Republican incumbent Rob Astorino for the position of Westchester County Executive . Running on a platform that emphasized reversing what he characterized as Astorino's obstructionism on desegregation and affordable housing mandates, Latimer won by a 16-point margin, propelled in part by anti-Trump sentiment that generated a blue wave across Westchester . He took office in January 2018 as the ninth County Executive 1. He was re-elected to a second term in November 2021 without significant opposition .
In December 2023, Latimer announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives in New York's 16th Congressional District, challenging incumbent Jamaal Bowman in the June 2024 Democratic primary . He defeated Bowman 58.6% to 41.4% in what became the most expensive congressional primary in American history . Latimer then won the November 2024 general election against Republican Miriam Flisser .
Latimer was sworn in to the 119th United States Congress on January 3, 2025 13. He was assigned to the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Committee on Small Business . He sits on the Middle East and North Africa and South and Central Asia subcommittees of Foreign Affairs, and the Contracting and Infrastructure subcommittee of Small Business 15.
In April 2026, Latimer announced his candidacy for re-election, submitting nearly 10,000 petition signatures . Running unopposed in the Democratic primary scheduled for June 23, 2026, he effectively secured the nomination .