WELCOME TO SLATER COUNTRY: Assemblymember Matt Slater, 38, seems to be good at this politician thing. On a Wednesday September morning, the Hudson Valley assemblyman walks into the Yorktown Coach Diner. He’s sporting a black vest prominently displaying the words “MATT SLATER – ASSEMBLYMAN,” a belt with about a dozen American flags and a perfectly neat comb over. He’s making his way to his table, but he’s struggling to get there. “How’s your mother?... Good to see you… How’s things?” he says, stopping to shake hands and greet seemingly everyone he walks by. “They got the best disco fries around,” the Republican tells Playbook. “This is home for me.” (Minutes later, he’ll spring up to help a senior citizen pick up a dropped newspaper). Slate represents the Hudson Valley communities of Carmel, Brewster and Yorktown in the Assembly — a safe district for the GOP, which commands a near powerless minority in the state Legislature’s lower chamber. But it’s clear he is positioning himself for broader appeal. He’s been endorsed by the teachers union, the New York League of Conservation Voters, and the AFL-CIO — all while keeping a 95 percent rating with the Conservative Party. (“Not that many people can say that,” he said). And yes, he’s voting for former President Donald Trump, but he isn’t interested in talking much about it: “The Trump thing I’m a little sensitive to,” he told Playbook at the end of the interview. “The presidential race, I try not to talk about it.” (Slater serves in the Navy Reserves, and says his military service obliges him to stay far away from presidential politics. “If I wasn't in the military, I don't think it would matter.”) While Trump won the Assembly district with 54 percent of the vote in 2020, Slater’s hesitance to associate with the former president may fare well for him if he attempts to seek higher office. Though Slater may not be well known outside his district, he embodies the same moderate, youthful streak that helped his fellow 38-year-old Hudson Valley Republican Mike Lawler win a battleground congressional seat. It’s already hard to think about Slater without thinking about Lawler, who has already teased interest in a run for governor in 2025. Should Lawler — who is defending his battleground seat from Democrat Mondaire Jones — run for governor, the 17th congressional seat will be open for another Republican bidder. And Slater is well-positioned for it. “For Matt, the sky's the limit,” Lawler said. “He has great potential to run for anything he wants, whether it be the state Legislature or congress or otherwise.” Ed Cox, the head of the state GOP, agreed: “He’s a rising star with a bright future.” Meanwhile Zack Couzens, a 21-year-old Boston College student challenging Slater for his Assembly seat this November, told Playbook he hoped to show voters Slater’s policy stances — like his opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment ballot proposition — reveal he’s not as moderate as he may purport to be.
“I want to be able to draw attention that Matt is not the bipartisan, kind of both sides guy that he might pin himself to be, but in reality he's just another Republican that really just votes the same ways and has a looser relationship with how he presents his own record,” Couzens said.
Slater, who was raised by his mother and grandmother in Yorktown before becoming its town supervisor, said he is focused on his work in the Assembly for the time being. But he wouldn’t rule out a future as Lawler’s successor.
“Listen, opportunities come, right?” Slater said. — Jason Beeferman
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