Elijah Reichlin-Melnick

Elijah Reichlin-Melnick
Member of the New York State Senate from the 38th district
In office January 1, 2021 – January 1, 2023
Preceded by	David Carlucci
Succeeded by	Bill Weber
Personal details
Born	(1984-06-02) June 2, 1984 (age 40) Nyack, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Cornell University (BA) Rutgers University (MCRP)
Website	Campaign website Official website

Elijah Reichlin-Melnick (born June 2, 1984) is a former American politician who served as a member of the New York State Senate for the 38th district, which includes most of Rockland County and parts of Westchester County. He succeeded David Carlucci and was defeated by Bill Weber (New York politician) in 2022 and again in 2024.

Early life and education

Reichlin-Melnick was born and raised in Nyack, New York. He attended Nyack High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Cornell University in 2006. He later earned a master's degree in city and regional planning, with a concentration in housing and real estate, from Rutgers University in 2015.

Career

Early career

After receiving his bachelor's degree, he spent two years as an elementary school teacher at Dwight Elementary School in New Haven, Connecticut. He later served on the Nyack Village Planning Board and was elected vice president of the Rockland County Young Democrats and chairman of the Nyack Democratic Committee. He was an active member of the Nyack NAACP and the Nyack Tree Committee. After leaving Dwight Elementary School, Reichlin-Melnick began working as a constituent service specialist and district representative for Congressman Eliot Engel and Congresswoman Nita Lowey until 2013. After working in Congress, Reichlin-Melnick completed his master's degree, he worked as the executive assistant for Orangetown, New York Town Supervisor Andy Stewart. He later worked as the legislative director for New York State Senator James Skoufis.[1]

Nyack Village Board

In April 2017, Reichlin-Melnick was appointed to the Nyack Village Board to fill a vacancy left by Doug Foster. On November 7, 2017, Reichlin-Melnick was elected to a two-year term on the Village Board and was subsequently re-elected on November 3, 2019.

New York State Senate

On December 17, 2019, Reichlin-Melnick announced his candidacy for district 38 in the New York State Senate.[2] On June 23, 2020, Reichlin-Melnick defeated Clarkstown Town Clerk Justin Sweet and Spring Valley Trustee Eudson Francois in the Democratic primary election.[3] On November 3, 2020, he defeated Republican nominee Bill Weber.[4] On November 8, 2022, Weber defeated Reichlin-Melnick in a rematch.[5] On November 5, 2024, Weber again defeated Reichlin-Melnick in a rematch, this time winning by nearly double the margin of his 2022 victory over Reichlin-Melnick.[6]

Election history

2020 New York State Senate election, District 38

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Elijah Reichlin-Melnick	12,542	45.6
	Democratic	Justin Sweet	10,042	36.5
	Democratic	Eudson Francois	4,902	17.8
Total votes			27,486	100.0

2020 New York's 38th State Senate district election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Elijah Reichlin-Melnick	65,707	49.87
	Working Families	Elijah Reichlin-Melnick	5,102	3.87
	Total	Elijah Reichlin-Melnick	70,809	53.74
	Republican	William Weber Jr.	59,654	45.27
	SAM	William Weber Jr.	1,301	0.99
	Total	William Weber Jr.	60,955	46.26
Total valid votes			131,764	90.91
Rejected ballots			13,172	9.09
Total votes			144,936	100.00
	Democratic hold

Personal life

Reichlin-Melnick's brother, Aaron, is an immigration policy expert and senior fellow at the American Immigration Council.[7]

References

1. "State Senate Closing Arguments: Elijah Reichlin-Melnick". Nyack News and Views. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
2. Cutler, Nancy. "Nyack Trustee Elijah Reichlin-Melnick announces bid for Carlucci's SD 38 seat". The Journal News. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
3. Lieberman, Steve. "State Senate: Reichlin-Melnick wins primary as Sweet concedes after most absentees are counted". The Journal News. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
4. Lieberman, Steve. "Elections Update: Reichlin-Melnick wins Senate seat over Weber; Lawler unseats Jaffee". The Journal News. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
5. "State Senate: Weber wins District 38, Harckham takes District 40". News 12 - Westchester. November 9, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
6. "Republican Bill Weber defeats Elijah Reichlin-Melnick in battle for NY Senate seat". LOHUD. November 6, 2024.
7. Donaldson, Sahalie (September 20, 2023). "Republicans parrot Eric Adams at Homeland Security Committee hearing on migrants". City & State. Retrieved December 11, 2024.