View source for Crystal Peoples-Stokes

{{Short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Crystal Peoples-Stokes
| image               = Crystal Peoples-Stokes.jpg
| office              = Majority Leader of the [[New York State Assembly]]
| term_start          = December 17, 2018
| term_end            = 
| predecessor         = [[Joseph Morelle]]
| successor           = 
| state_assembly1     = New York
| district1           = [[New York's 141st State Assembly district|141st]]
| term_start1         = January 1, 2003
| term_end1           = 
| predecessor1        = [[Arthur Eve]]
| successor1          = 
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1951|12|22}}
| birth_place         = [[Buffalo, New York]], U.S.
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse              = 
| children            = 1
| education           = [[Buffalo State College]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]], [[Master of Science|MS]])
| website             = {{URL|nyassembly.gov/mem/Crystal-D-Peoples-Stokes|Assembly website}}
|signature=Crystal Peoples-Stokes Signature.png
}}
'''Crystal Davis Peoples-Stokes''' (born December 22, 1951)<ref name="Vote Smart"/> is an American politician representing Assembly District 141, which includes the city of [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] within [[Erie County, New York]]. She is currently the Majority Leader of the [[New York State Assembly]].<ref name="Official bio"/>

==Education==
Peoples-Stokes attended [[Buffalo State College]], where she earned her [[B.S.]] degree in elementary education and [[master's degree]] in student personnel administration.<ref name="Official bio"/>

== Career ==
She worked as a member of the [[Erie County, New York|Erie County]] Legislature representing the 7th District from 1993 to 2002.<ref name="Official bio" />

In 2000, Peoples-Stokes, a member of [[Grassroots (organization)|Grassroots]] and the majority leader of the Erie County Legislature, ran against incumbent Assemblyman [[Arthur O. Eve]]. The race was described by ''[[The New York Times]]'' as the toughest election contest of Eve's political career.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/05/nyregion/contest-for-albany-seat-hinges-on-a-veteran-legislator-s-relevance.html |title= Contest for Albany Seat Hinges on a Veteran Legislator's Relevance |work= [[The New York Times]] |author=Hicks, Jonathan P. |date= September 5, 2000}}</ref>  Peoples-Stokes's Democratic [[Partisan primary|primary election]] challenge was almost successful,<ref name="nytimes.com 2000/10/18">{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/18/nyregion/to-be-state-senator-he-must-beat-the-incumbent-again.html|title=To Be State Senator, He Must Beat the Incumbent, Again |work= [[The New York Times]] |author= Hicks, Jonathan P. |date=October 18, 2000}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/20/nyregion/to-beat-the-system-they-infiltrated-it-a-political-force-grows-in-buffalo.html |title= To Beat the System, They Infiltrated It; A Political Force Grows in Buffalo |work= [[The New York Times]] |author= Hicks, Jonathan P. |date= March 20, 2003}}</ref> and it was credited with energizing minority voters to elect [[Byron Brown]] as a [[New York State Senator]].<ref name="nytimes.com 2000/10/18" />

Peoples-Stokes was elected to the State Assembly in November 2002, after Eve's retirement. She ran uncontested in the November 2008<ref>{{cite web |url= http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/states/legislature/new-york.html |title= Election Results 2008: New York State Legislature |work= [[The New York Times]] |year= 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2008/General/NYSAssembly08.pdf |title=Assembly Election Returns: November 4, 2008 |publisher=[[New York State Board of Elections]] |year=2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120823001135/http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2008/General/NYSAssembly08.pdf |archive-date=2012-08-23 }}</ref> and November 2010 [[general election]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/results/new-york/state-legislature |title= Election Results 2010: New York State Legislature |work= [[The New York Times]] |year= 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2010/general/2010Assembly.pdf |title=Assembly Election Returns: November 2, 2010 |publisher=[[New York State Board of Elections]] |year=2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218082901/http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2010/general/2010Assembly.pdf |archive-date=2013-12-18 }}</ref>

On December 17, 2018, Peoples-Stokes was appointed Majority Leader of the New York State Assembly, becoming the first woman and first African American to serve in the role.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://buffalonews.com/2018/12/17/peoples-stokes-named-assembly-majority-leader/|title=WNY gets Albany leverage as Peoples-Stokes named Assembly majority leader|date=December 17, 2018}}</ref>

In the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 Presidential Election]], People-Stokes served as an alternate [[United States Electoral College#Electors|elector]], replacing [[Lovely Warren|Lovely A. Warren]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-11-05|title=2020 Electoral College Results; New York Certificate of Vote 2020|url=https://www.archives.gov/electoral-college/2020|access-date=2021-01-05|website=National Archives|language=en|pages=[https://www.archives.gov/files/electoral-college/2020/vote-new-york.pdf#page=3 3], 2|last1=Cuomo|first1=Andrew M.|author-link1=Andrew Cuomo|last2=Stewart-Cousins|first2=Andrea|author-link2=Andrea Stewart-Cousins|last3=Heastie|first3=Carl E.|author-link3=Carl Heastie}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last1=Brehm|first1=Robert A.|last2=Valentine|first2=Todd D.|date=3 November 2020|title=AMENDED Certification for the November 3, 2020 General Election|url=https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/Elections/2020/General/CertificationforNov32020GenElection.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123213926/https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/Elections/2020/General/CertificationforNov32020GenElection.pdf|archive-date=23 November 2020|access-date=5 January 2021|website=New York State Board of Elections|pages=[https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/Elections/2020/General/CertificationforNov32020GenElection.pdf#page=5 5], 10}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Peoples-Stokes lives in [[Buffalo, New York]], with her daughter Rashaun and grandson Kaleb Malik.<ref name="Official bio"/>

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name="Official bio">{{cite web
 |url= http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=141&sh=bio
 |title= Assembly District 141, Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes: Biography
 |publisher= [[New York State Assembly]]
 |access-date= March 24, 2011}}
</ref>

<ref name="Vote Smart">{{cite web
 |url= http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=23174
 |title= Assembly Member Crystal Davis Peoples-Stokes (NY)
 |publisher= [[Project Vote Smart]]
 |access-date= March 24, 2011}}
</ref>

}}

==External links==
*[https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Crystal-D-Peoples-Stokes New York State Assembly Member Website]

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-ny-hs}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Arthur Eve]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of the [[New York State Assembly|New York Assembly]]<br>from the 141st district|years=2003–present}}
{{s-inc|rows=2}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Joe Morelle]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Majority Leader of the [[New York State Assembly|New York Assembly]]|years=2018–present}}
{{s-end}}

{{U.S. State House Floor Leaders}}
{{Current New York statewide political officials}}
{{New York State Assembly}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peoples-Stokes, Crystal}}
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century American women politicians]]
[[Category:African-American state legislators in New York (state)]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American women politicians]]
[[Category:Buffalo State College alumni]]
[[Category:County legislators in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly]]
[[Category:Politicians from Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:Women state legislators in New York (state)]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American women politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American women politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century members of the New York State Legislature]]
[[Category:2024 United States presidential electors]]