James Skoufis

James Skoufis (born October 18, 1987) is an American politician of the Democratic Party currently representing the 42nd District of the New York State Senate since 2023. Skoufis previously represented the 39th District prior to redistricting from 2019 to 2022.

Skoufis began his political career on the Woodbury town board in Orange County. In 2012 he was elected to the New York State Assembly, becoming its youngest member at 25. He was re-elected in 2014 and 2016.

Background
Skoufis was born in Flushing, Queens in 1987, the son of a Greek immigrant. His family moved north to the town of Woodbury in the Hudson Valley in 1995. He graduated from Monroe-Woodbury High School in 2005. He has a bachelor's degree from The George Washington University and a masters from Columbia University. Skoufis worked at an electronic security firm and was on the Woodbury Town Board.

New York State Assembly
After redistricting in 2012 following the decennial census, long-time Republican Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun decided to retire, leaving the seat vacant. Skoufis received the Democratic nomination for the seat, defeating Larry Delarose at the party's county convention. In the November general election, he defeated Republican Goshen Mayor Kyle Roddey with 56% of the vote. At age 24, he became the youngest member of the Assembly.

Skoufis introduced his first two bills within a week of being sworn in; both were inspired by the aftermath of Hurricane Irene in 2011. Both bills passed the Assembly a few months later. Skoufis was an outspoken supporter of increasing the minimum wage. Early in 2014, Skoufis introduced Tuition-Free NY, a proposal to make SUNY and CUNY in New York State tuition-free as long as students fulfill community service and residency requirements.

New York State Senate
In 2018, longtime Senator William J. Larkin Jr. retired at age 88. He had served in the seat since 1991. Prior to Larkin's retirement, Skoufis was floated as a potential challenger. After Larkin announced his retirement, Skoufis entered the race. In a good year for Democrats, Skoufis defeated Republican Stony Point Councilman Tom Basile, 54 percent to 46 percent. Democrats also took the majority in the Senate in the same election.

In the Senate, Skoufis was the Chair of the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations.

In 2023, Skoufis opposed plans congestion pricing in Manhattan, one of most congested areas of the world. He called the congestion pricing plan "outright theft" and said he would support lawsuits to block the plan.

Personal life
Skoufis has a daughter, born in 2021. He has two sisters.