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Betty Little
Member of the New York Senate from the 45th District
In office January 1, 2003 – December 31, 2020
Preceded by	Ronald B. Stafford
Succeeded by	Dan Stec
Member of the New York Assembly from the 109th District
In office November 8, 1995 – December 31, 2002
Preceded by	James P. King
Succeeded by	Robert Prentiss
Personal details
Born	(1940-09-28) September 28, 1940 (age 84) Glens Falls, New York
Political party	Republican
Residence	Queensbury, New York
Alma mater	College of St. Rose (B.A.)
Signature
Website	Official website

Elizabeth O'Connor Little (born September 28, 1940) is a former New York State Senator. A member of the Republican Party, she was first elected in 2002. She served in the 45th Senate District, which includes all or part of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Warren and Washington Counties.

Background

Little was born in Glens Falls on September 28, 1940. She graduated from the College of Saint Rose with an education degree. She has worked as both teacher and a realtor.

Little has six children and seventeen grandchildren. She is divorced.

Political career

Little first entered public service as a member and later Chair of the Town of Queensbury Recreation Commission. In 1986 she was elected to serve as an At-Large Supervisor to the Warren County Board of Supervisors for the Town of Queensbury, where she served on numerous boards and committees and as County Budget Officer in 1990 and 1991.

In 1995, Little won a special election to serve in the New York State Assembly, and would serve in the Assembly until winning election to the Senate in 2002.

New York Senate

In 2002, incumbent Republican Senator Ronald B. Stafford decided not to seek another term. Little announced that she would run to replace him. Despite the district being competitive on paper, Little easily won election to her first term in the Senate against Democrat Boyce Sherwin, 77% to 23%.

Since her initial election, Little has never faced serious opposition. She was unopposed in 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014. She faced the closest election of her career in 2018, but still won 64% to 36%.

After the appointment of Kirsten Gillibrand to the United States Senate in January 2009, Little expressed interest in running for U.S. Congress in New York's 20th congressional district and announced her intention to seek the Republican nomination for the special election for the seat. The nomination went instead to Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco.

Before the Republicans lost the Senate majority in the 2018 elections, Little served as Chair of the Housing, Construction and Community Development Committee.

In December 2019, Little announced that she would not seek re-election the following year.

Political positions

Abortion

Little is pro-life. She voted against the Reproductive Health Act in 2018 in the Senate Health Committee.

Healthcare

Little has said she believes universal health care should be passed at the federal level to avoid unduly burdening the state.

Same-sex marriage

Little voted "No" on same-sex marriage legislation in December 2009 and the bill received no Republican Senate support. Little has said she supports civil unions. In 2011, Little voted against the Marriage Equality Act, which the Senate passed 33-29. The 2011 bill became law.

References

1. LoTemplio, Joe (29 January 2019). "Sen. Little's Plattsburgh office to close". Press-Republican.
2. "Betty Little's Biography". justfacts.votesmart.org. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
3. "Lake Placid Hall of Fame to induct Dmitry Feld, Betty Little". Adirondack Daily Enterprise. October 1, 2024.
4. Mann, Brian. "State ed officials face "common core" rage". NCPR. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
5. ^ LoTemplio, Joe (17 May 2018). "State Sen. Betty Little to run again". Press-Republican. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
6. ^ Hornbeck, Leigh (2016-08-26). "Betty Little: Q&A on women in politics". Times Union. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
7. "Little won re-election by a wide margin | News, Sports, Jobs - Adirondack Daily Enterprise". Retrieved 2019-02-06.
8. Mann, Brian. "Betty Little wins ninth term in NYS Senate 45 race". NCPR. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
9. "Editorial: Political gamesmanship means loss to North Country". Press-Republican. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
10. LoTemplio, Joe (18 May 2018). "Sen. Little to seek re-election after rumors of retirement". Glens Falls Post-Star. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
11. "Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 45 Race - Nov 05, 2002". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
12. "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Elizabeth O'C. "Betty" Little". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
13. "Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 45 Race - Nov 06, 2018". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
14. "Betty Little Announces Plans To Replace Gillibrand". Hearst Stations Inc. on behalf of WPTZ-TV. 2009-01-23. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
15. "New York State Senator Betty Little Archives". Fort Ticonderoga Blog. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
16. "Breaking: Sen. Betty Little announces she will not seek re-election in 2020". Northcountrypublicradio.org. 2019-12-05. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
17. Moore, Kathleen (August 20, 2018). "Sen. Betty Little and challenger Emily Martz spar over abortion rights". poststar.com.
18. "Martz wants to pass bills Little hasn't | News, Sports, Jobs - Adirondack Daily Enterprise". Retrieved 2019-02-06.
19. Mann, Brian (June 15, 2011). "North Country Sen. Betty Little "a No vote" on gay marriage". The In Box. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
20. Johnston, Garth (2011-06-25). "FINALLY: NY State Senate Passes Gay Marriage". Gothamist. Archived from the original on 2018-05-18. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
21. Confessore, Nicholas; Barbaro, Michael (24 June 2011). "New York Allows Same-Sex Marriage, Becoming Largest State to Pass Law". The New York Times.

External links

• New York State Senate: Betty Little
• State Senate Bio

v t e Members of the New York State Senate
204th New York Legislature (2021–2022) President of the Senate Antonio Delgado (D) President pro tempore and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D) Minority Leader Rob Ortt (R)
▌Anthony Palumbo (R) ▌Mario Mattera (R) ▌Dean Murray (R) ▌Monica Martinez (D) ▌Steven Rhoads (R) ▌Kevin Thomas (D) ▌Jack Martins (R) ▌Alexis Weik (R) ▌Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick (R) ▌James Sanders Jr. (D) ▌Toby Ann Stavisky (D) ▌Michael Gianaris (D) ▌Jessica Ramos (D) ▌Leroy Comrie (D) ▌Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D) ▌John Liu (D) ▌Iwen Chu (D) ▌Julia Salazar (D) ▌Roxanne Persaud (D) ▌Zellnor Myrie (D) ▌Kevin Parker (D) ▌Simcha Felder (D) ▌Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D) ▌Andrew Lanza (R) ▌Jabari Brisport (D) ▌Andrew Gounardes (D) ▌Brian P. Kavanagh (D) ▌Liz Krueger (D) ▌José M. Serrano (D) ▌Cordell Cleare (D) ▌Robert Jackson (D) ▌Luis R. Sepúlveda (D) ▌Gustavo Rivera (D) ▌Nathalia Fernandez (D) ▌Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D) ▌Jamaal Bailey (D) ▌Shelley Mayer (D) ▌Bill Weber (R) ▌Robert Rolison (R) ▌Peter Harckham (D) ▌Michelle Hinchey (D) ▌James Skoufis (D) ▌Jake Ashby (R) ▌Jim Tedisco (R) ▌Dan Stec (R) ▌Neil Breslin (D) ▌Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D) ▌Rachel May (D) ▌Mark Walczyk (R) ▌John Mannion (D) ▌Peter Oberacker (R) ▌Lea Webb (D) ▌Joseph Griffo (R) ▌Pam Helming (R) ▌Samra Brouk (D) ▌Jeremy Cooney (D) ▌George Borrello (R) ▌Tom O'Mara (R) ▌Kristen Gonzalez (D) ▌Patrick M. Gallivan (R) ▌Sean Ryan (D) ▌Rob Ortt (R) ▌Vacant
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• Living people
• College of Saint Rose alumni
• Politicians from Glens Falls, New York
• Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly
• Republican Party New York (state) state senators
• Women state legislators in New York (state)
• Town supervisors in New York (state)
• 1940 births
• People from Queensbury, New York
• 21st-century American women politicians
• 21st-century members of the New York State Legislature
• 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature
• 20th-century American women politicians