She is notable for having unseated State Senator Roy McDonald, a fellow Republican, following his 2011 vote to legalize same-sex marriage in New York.
[1] In 2009, Marchione led a group of New York county clerks to oppose a plan to require the replacement of new license plates beginning in 2010.
[15] The Marchione-McDonald primary was variously described as "one of three localized referend[a] on New York's 2011 same-sex marriage law"[16] and as "divisive",[17] "bitter,"[18] and "nasty".
Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, weighed in on the race by announcing his support for Sen. McDonald to continue his re-election bid on a third party line.
[24] The Albany Times Union called the Marchione-McDonald primary contest "a reminder that a solid portion of the Republican base remains uncomfortable with same-sex marriage, and that grass-roots insurgents are at least an even match for the party's establishment candidates.
"[25] Marchione won the November general election, defeating Democrat Robin Andrews and McDonald (who received 20,929 votes on the Independence Party line despite having suspended his campaign).
[29] In 2018, the Times Union described her as "an outspoken opponent of gun control legislation, a critic of business regulations, a voice for conservatism and an advocate for the region’s horse racing and tourism industries".