Walter T. Mosley

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Walter Mosley

| image = MTA Officially Renames Two Brooklyn Subway Stations.jpg

| office = 68th Secretary of State of New York

| governor = Kathy Hochul

| term_start = May 22, 2024

| term_end =

| predecessor = Robert Rodriguez

| successor =

| state_assembly1 = New York

| district1 = 57th

| term_start1 = January 3, 2013

| term_end1 = January 1, 2021

| predecessor1 = Hakeem Jeffries

| successor1 = Phara Souffrant Forrest

| birth_date =

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Democratic

| education = Pennsylvania State University (BS)
Howard University (JD)

}}

Walter T. Mosley III is an American politician and civil servant from the state of New York. A Democrat, Mosley represented New York's 57th State Assembly district from 2013 to 2021; the district included the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, as well as portions of Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant.{{cite web|url=http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Walter-T-Mosley/bio/|title=Biography}}{{cite web|url=http://fort-greene.thelocal.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/political-personal-mosley-cruises-to-re-election/|title=Political Personal: Mosley Cruises to Re-Election|website=Fort Greene Local (New York Times)}} In 2020, Mosley lost a Democratic primary to Phara Souffrant Forrest.{{Cite web|last=Witt|first=Stephen|date=2020-07-22|title=New Day in Assembly: Gallagher Unseats Lentol, Forrest Unseats Mosley|url=https://www.kingscountypolitics.com/new-day-in-assembly-gallagher-unseats-lentol-forrest-unseats-mosley/|access-date=2020-07-22|website=Kings County Politics|language=en-US}} Mosley has served as the New York Secretary of State since 2024.

Education

Mosley attended Pennsylvania State University, where he obtained his bachelor's degree in criminology. He received his J.D. degree from Howard University in 1998.{{Cite web|url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2016/03/11/in-public-service-mosley-worked-behind-scenes-in-politics/|title = In Public Service: Mosley worked behind scenes in politics|date = March 11, 2016 |website=brooklyneagle.com|last=Katinas|first=Paula}}

New York State Assembly

Mosley ran to fill Hakeem Jeffries's Assembly seat in the 57th district in 2012 when Jeffries ran for Congress. Mosley won the Democratic primary with 62.8% of the vote, beating out Olanike T. Alabi and Martine Guerrier. He handily defeated Republican challenger Francis J. Voyticky, who Hakeem Jeffries had beaten in 2010, in the general election with 97.6% of the vote.{{cite web|url=https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2012/General/AD_04-09-2013.pdf|title=NYS Board of Elections Assembly Election Returns Nov. 6, 2012|website=New York State Board of Elections}} Mosley ran unopposed in 2014, 2016, and 2018, running on both the Democratic and Working Families Party lines in 2016 and 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2014/general/2014Assembly.pdf|title=NYS Board of Elections Assembly Election Returns November 4, 2014|website=New York State Board of Elections}}{{cite web|url=https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2016/General/2016Assembly.pdf|title=NYS Board of Elections Assembly Election Returns Nov. 8, 2016|website=New York State Board of Elections}}{{cite web|url=https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2018/general/2018Assembly.pdf|title=Certified Results from the November 6, 2018 General Election for NYS Assembly|website=New York State Board of Elections}}

=East Ramapo School District bill=

Mosley was originally a co-sponsor of a bill to place a monitor with veto power in the East Ramapo School District in Rockland County, an Orthodox Jewish-dominated school district that was diverting funds to yeshivas. Mosley took his name off of the bill after meeting with both sides, saying that the discussion about the bill has anti-Semitic overtones. He refused to meet with the sponsor of the bill, a 71-year-old former East Ramapo schoolteacher, and ultimately did not vote on the bill.{{cite web|url=http://www.nystateofpolitics.com/2015/06/the-under-the-radar-election-next-week/|title=The Under-the-Radar Election Next Week|website=New York State of Politics}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/19/nyregion/bid-to-impose-monitor-on-east-ramapo-school-board-meets-resistance.html?_r=0|title=Bid to Impose Monitor on East Ramapo School Board Meets Resistance|work = The New York Times|date=18 May 2015|last=Taylor|first=Kate}}{{cite news|url=http://www.jewishpress.com/news/us-news/ny/jewish-assemblywoman-says-shes-been-bullied-by-colleagues-2/2015/07/16/|title=Jewish Assemblywoman Says She's Been Bullied By Colleagues|date=16 July 2015|work=The Jewish Press}}

=2020 Democratic primary defeat=

In the Democratic primary on June 23, 2020, Mosley faced Phara Souffrant Forrest; Forrest was his first primary challenger since 2012. While Mosley led Forrest by 588 votes on election night, absentee ballots were more significant than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On July 22, 2020, once absentee ballots had been counted, Forrest was declared the winner of the primary by over 2,500 votes.{{cite news | url = https://www.brooklynpaper.com/breaking-phara-souffrant-forrest-declares-victory-over-walter-mosley-in-crown-heights-assembly-race/ | title = BREAKING: Phara Souffrant Forrest Declares Victory over Walter Mosley in Crown Heights Assembly Race | first = Ben | last = Verde | work = Brooklyn Paper | date = 22 July 2020 | access-date = 22 July 2020}}

Secretary of State

Mosley was nominated to the position of Secretary of State by Gov. Kathy Hochul, and was confirmed by the New York State Senate on May 22, 2024.{{cite web |url=https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-confirmation-administration-appointees-senate-0 |title=Governor Hochul Announces Confirmation of Administration Appointees by Senate |date=May 22, 2024 |website=New York Governor |access-date=May 23, 2024}}

Electoral history

{{Election box begin no change | title=New York's 57th State Assembly district Democratic Primary, 2012}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Walter T. Mosley, III

|votes = 4,565

|percentage = 62.8

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Olanike T. Alabi

|votes = 2,168

|percentage = 29.8

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Martine Guerrier

|votes = 535

|percentage = 7.4

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 7,268

| percentage = 100

}}

{{Election box begin no change | title=New York's 57th State Assembly district General Election, 2012{{Cite web |date=March 20, 2013 |title=NYS Board of Elections Assembly Election Returns Nov. 6, 2012 |url=https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2012/General/AD_04-09-2013.pdf |website=New York State Board of Elections}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Walter T. Mosley, III

|votes = 46,733

|percentage = 97.6

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Francis J. Voyticky

|votes = 1,111

|percentage = 2.3

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = n/a

|candidate = Write-ins

|votes = 44

|percentage = 0.1

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 47,888

| percentage = 100.0

}}

{{Election box hold with party link no change

| winner = Democratic Party (United States)

}}

{{Election box begin no change | title=New York's 57th State Assembly district Democratic Primary, 2020{{cite web| url=https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2020/Primary/CertifiedJune232020StatePrimaryResults.pdf | access-date=2023-12-22 | title=Certified Results from the June 23, 2020 Primary Election}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Phara Souffrant Forrest

|votes = 15,711

|percentage = 55.5%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Walter T. Mosley III

|votes = 12,609

|percentage = 44.5%

}}