VoterLens
New York State Senate District 45
Quinnipiac University—Bachelor's in Nursing
Data last updated 10/21/2026
Melissa Seale is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, small-business owner, and community advocate running for New York State Senate District 45. She founded Well Child Psychiatric and the Well Child Foundation to expand access to mental health care for children and adolescents, and her campaign biography says she has worked with children, parents, schools, and healthcare providers in rural and underserved communities.
Committee Assignments: No committee assignments available.
Melissa Seale supports expanding affordable, local healthcare in New York State Senate District 45, with an emphasis on primary care, pediatric care, mental health services, telehealth, and school-based care for rural and underserved North Country communities. Her healthcare platform is grounded in her background as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and founder of organizations focused on child and adolescent mental health access.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Seale states she will work to expand access to primary, pediatric, and mental health services so families can get care without long waits or long drives.
SourceSeale identifies support for telehealth and school-based care as part of her affordable and local healthcare priority to reach underserved communities.
SourceSeale's profile states that Well Child Psychiatric and the Well Child Foundation were created to expand access to high-quality mental health care for children and adolescents, emphasizing early intervention, continuity of care, and collaboration with families and schools.
SourceA campaign announcement reported that Seale's practice and foundation focus on expanding access to pediatric mental health care, including early intervention, continuity of care, and collaboration between families and schools.
SourceMelissa Seale's Economy & Jobs platform emphasizes lowering costs and growing District 45's rural economy through broadband, transportation and community infrastructure, small-business and family-farm support, and clean-energy investments tied to good-paying jobs.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Seale says she will expand high-speed broadband and modern infrastructure to connect residents, schools, and businesses in rural District 45 communities.
SourceIn an Abundance New York questionnaire, Seale listed growing local economies and infrastructure as a top legislative priority, including investment in broadband, transportation, small businesses, and family farms.
SourceIn a Protect the Adirondacks questionnaire for New York State Senate District 45 candidates, Seale said she would fight for clean-energy investments that create good-paying jobs while strengthening infrastructure and protecting farms, waterways, and neighborhoods.
SourceMelissa Seale opposes shifting federal immigration-enforcement responsibilities onto local/community police, arguing that immigration is a federal role and that using local officers for civil immigration work diverts resources from community safety. In the SD-45 debate context, she did not call for repealing New York's Local Cops, Local Crimes Act and instead said federal immigration matters should stay federal while local police serve local communities.
Specific Actions & Proposals
During a New York State Senate District 45 debate, Seale said having community police officers do immigration work, which she described as a federal program, takes them away from communities and could make communities less safe.
SourceWhen asked about the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, Seale said she would look into details but maintained that federal officials should handle federal immigration matters and community police officers should serve local communities.
SourceNo public Climate & Energy position for Melissa Seale, Democratic candidate for New York State Senate District 45 in the 2026 cycle, was found in the searched sources. Her campaign site and St. Lawrence Democrats profile describe her biography and broad priorities, while VOTE411 lists a climate-change question for this race but states that Melissa Seale has not yet responded.
Melissa Seale, the 2026 Democratic candidate for New York State Senate District 45, frames education around student/family supports, fair school funding, and school-linked mental health care in rural communities. Her stated positions emphasize partnering with educators and nonprofits, expanding school-based care, and supporting developmental and mental-health programs that help children succeed in and out of the classroom.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Seale says she would partner with educators and nonprofits and fight for fair school funding so every child can thrive.
SourceSeale supports telehealth and school-based care to reach rural communities and families who are often left out of the system.
SourceSeale supports proven mental health and developmental programs intended to help students succeed both in and out of the classroom.
SourceSeale highlights her Well Child work prioritizing early intervention, continuity of care, and close collaboration with families and schools to address problems before they become crises.
SourceMelissa Seale frames public safety partly through mental health, saying correction officers need better mental health services and that community police should remain focused on local public safety rather than federal immigration enforcement. She also stated support for repealing New York's HALT Act limits on solitary confinement.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Seale said during the NY Senate District 45 debate that she would like to repeal the HALT Act, which limits solitary confinement in New York prisons.
SourceAsked about the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, Seale said having community police do federal immigration work takes them away from communities and could make communities less safe.
SourceSeale said better mental health services for correction officers would help them feel safer and more supported on the job.
SourceSeale's campaign platform says she will support proven mental health and developmental programs for students and expand early intervention and family support services, an upstream public-safety approach focused on preventing crises.
SourceAbundance New York Voter Guide
https://voterguide.abundanceny.org/questionnaires/melissa-sealeFetched: biography, location
Transparency USA - Melissa Seale New York Candidate
https://www.transparencyusa.org/ny/candidate/melissa-sealeFetched: campaignFinance
New York State Board of Elections - Certification for June 23, 2026 Primary Election
https://elections.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2026/05/accessible-june-23-2026-primary-certification-amended-4.30.26-.pdfFetched: votingRecord
WWNY
https://www.wwnytv.com/2026/02/26/st-lawrence-county-democratic-committee-announces-endorsements/?outputType=ampFetched: endorsements
Abundance New York Candidate Questionnaire
https://voterguide.abundanceny.org/questionnaires/melissa-sealeFetched: issuePositions
Nurseonestop
https://nurseonestop.org/pmhnp-melissa-seale-announces-run-for-ny-state-senate/Fetched: issuePositions
Protect the Adirondacks
https://www.protectadks.org/federal-and-state-candidates-answer-questions-on-environmental-matters-in-adirondack-park/Fetched: issuePositions
WCAX
https://www.wcax.com/2026/10/06/ny-senate-candidates-spar-over-ai-data-centers-immigration-law/Fetched: issuePositions
WAMC
https://www.wamc.org/news/2026-10-09/stec-seale-play-blame-game-for-high-prices-in-north-country-during-new-york-state-senate-race?_amp=trueFetched: issuePositions
VOTE411 Voter Guide - New York Senate District 45
https://onyourballot.vote411.org/race-detail.do?id=3366604Fetched: issuePositions
NCPR News
https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/54065/20261009/in-ny-senate-race-stec-and-seale-play-the-blame-game-for-high-prices-in-the-north-countryFetched: issuePositions
WWNY-TV
https://www.wwnytv.com/2026/10/06/ny-senate-candidates-spar-over-ai-data-centers-immigration-law/Fetched: issuePositions