Third-term Democratic state Sen. Pete Harckham of New York's 40th state Senate District is facing a rematch against Republican Gina Arena, a Westchester County Department of Public Works employee who has a compelling personal story and has created several foundations to support children with serious illnesses. 

The district includes northern Westchester County and parts of Putnam and Rockland counties.  

In the last election, Arena lost to Harckham by 7 percentage points. 

Capital Tonight spoke with Arena about her adult daughter who is living with autism, and her son Jimmy who died at the age of 6 of brain cancer, and how both challenges informed the candidate’s policies.