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Latimer was born in Mount Vernon, New York on November 22, 1953, to Stanley and Loretta (née Miner) Latimer.^[4] He attended and graduated from Mount Vernon High School in 1970.^[5] He commuted to Fordham University in the Bronx and graduated with a B.A. in 1974. He asked his father for a loan to get his Master's Degree in Public Administration (MPA) from New York University's Wagner School.^[4] While earning his graduate degree he worked part-time as a budget analyst at Fordham. After graduating in 1976, he took the position of housing coordinator, setting up Section 8 housing in Mount Vernon. “I discovered an affinity for government work, and I paid my father back,” he said.^[6]

He later worked for two decades as a marketing executive in the hospitality industry for major organizations, including subsidiaries of Nestlé and ITT.^[7]

Latimer first ran for public office in 1987; he won a seat on the Rye City Council, finishing first in a field of 6 major party candidates.^[4] Latimer was elevated in 1991 to the Westchester County Board of Legislators, the first-ever Democrat to win the 7th District seat representing the City of Rye, Village of Larchmont, and Mamaroneck Town and Village.^[8] Latimer was re-elected in 1993, 1995, and 1997;^[9] in January 1998, Democrats won a majority of seats in the County Board for the first time in 90 years. Latimer was elected to chair the board, and was the first Democrat ever to do so. He was re-elected to his legislative seat in 1999, and served a second term as chairman from 2000 to 2001.^[10]

Latimer did not seek a third term as chair in 2002, having been re-elected to a sixth term in the Westchester County Legislature. Westchester County Democrats elected him County Democratic Party Chairman in September 2002, where he served for a two-year term.^[11]

After winning re-election to the County Legislature in 2003, Latimer sought and won a seat in the New York State Assembly in 2004, serving until 2012.^[12] In the Assembly, Latimer represented the 91st District, which included the Sound Shore communities of New Rochelle, Rye Brook, and Port Chester alongside the communities of his County Legislative District.

In 2012, Latimer ran for the New York State Senate in the 37th District against Republican Bob Cohen following the retirement of Senator Suzi Oppenheimer (D). Following his election in 2012, Latimer was reelected in 2014 and 2016 serving from 2013 to 2017.^{[13][14][15][16]}

In 2017, Latimer challenged Republican incumbent Rob Astorino for Westchester County Executive.

During the campaign, Astorino called for Latimer to "step down from the state Senate's Education Committee because he missed the state budget vote..."^[17] The Latimer campaign, in turn, accused Astorino of receiving a sweetheart deal on a Rolex watch due to his relationship with a businessman who had pleaded guilty to fraud charges; Latimer's campaign called for Astorino's resignation based on the allegations.^[18][19]

Latimer defeated Astorino by 14 points despite being outspent over 3-to-1 by Astorino's campaign.^[2][1]

On November 2, 2021, Latimer was re-elected to a second term as County Executive.^[20]

As County Executive, Latimer explored purchasing the land around Pocantico Lake Park to create a new county park.^[21]

In December 2023, Latimer announced that he was running for the United States House of Representatives in 2024, challenging incumbent Jamaal Bowman in the June 25 primary for the Democratic nomination in New York's 16th congressional district.^[22]

Latimer has received high-profile endorsements for his campaign including from Hillary Clinton, a resident of Chappaqua in Westchester County, former area representatives Eliot Engel and Nita Lowey, and most state legislators representing the district.^[23][24] During the campaign, multiple news outlets reported on the "record-breaking" levels of outside spending in Latimer's favor.^[25] The loss was seen as a major defeat for the progressive wing of the party against its more moderate wing represented by Latimer.^[26][25] Latimer went on to win the general election.^[3]

Latimer and his wife, Robin Phelps Latimer, are the parents of a daughter, Meagan.^[36] He met his wife in the 1970s while he was working in sales for Stouffer's in White Plains, New York.^[6]

In 2019, Latimer faced a lawsuit following a July 2017 car crash in New Rochelle. The collision occurred when Latimer failed to yield at an intersection, causing the driver of the other car "severe and permanent injury." At the time of the crash, Latimer was driving an aide's vehicle; his own car's registration had been suspended because of a high number of unpaid parking tickets. ^[37]

• New York State Senate website
• Appearances on C-SPAN