Asm. Brian Cunningham
Brian Cunningham represents AD-43, a D+74 district in Brooklyn with a voter registration breakdown of 79.1% Democrat and 4.7% Republican, and has run uncontested in both 2022 and 2024; the district's base lean is modeled at D+81 across all electoral scenarios, placing him firmly in the Safe D category with no meaningful competitive history in the seat. The district is majority-Black (53.4%), with an 18.2% poverty rate, 19.8% homeownership rate, and a median household income of $79,071, reflecting a dense urban constituency with significant economic need. First elected in 2021, Cunningham has sponsored 188 bills in the 2025 session, with his heaviest concentrations in Vehicle and Traffic (25 bills), Education (21 bills), and a cluster of 12 bills each across Executive, Public Service, and Tax law areas, alongside notable activity in Social Services (10 bills) and General Business (7 bills). The brief does not identify a committee chairmanship for Cunningham, and no lobbying sector overlap data is included in this profile.AI
Topic Focus AI
Topics extracted by AI from floor debate speeches, joint committee hearing transcripts, and sponsored legislation. Tag size reflects number of supporting citations.
Key Issues AI
Key issue areas derived from floor debate speeches and sponsored bill law sections.
Legislative Activity (2025–2026)
Bill sponsorship from NYS Open Legislation API. Hearing appearances from joint Senate-Assembly committee transcripts. Floor debate from official Assembly session transcripts (Granicus, 2023–present).
Bill Focus Areas 2025–2026
Grouped by law section from sponsored Assembly bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation API.
Floor Speeches: In Support (33) AI
Explained the bill establishes minimum payment standards for utility payment plans to standardize arrangements across utilities, ensuring customers have assurance and protection while allowing utilities to recoup costs.
Debate centered on codifying New York's existing prohibition on fingerprinting for SNAP applicants. Sponsor Davila explained the bill prevents the Commissioner of Social Services from requiring fingerprinting, which she characterized as stigmatizing. Questioner Molitor established that New York has not permitted fingerprinting since 2012, no states currently require it, and New York has other protections in place including Social Security verification, income and residency verification, centralized statewide systems, and participation in USDA antifraud monitoring.
Floor Speeches: In Opposition AI
No recorded floor speeches in opposition found in our transcript archive for this member.
Electoral History AD-43
General Elections
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Brian A. Cunningham 100.0% (43,422) | Uncontested | — |
| 2022 | Brian A. Cunningham 100.0% (29,512) | Uncontested | — |
| 2020 | Diana Richardson 89.2% (43,629) | Menachem M. Raitport 10.8% (5,277) | 78.4pts |
| 2018 | Diana Richardson 100.0% (35,595) | Uncontested | — |
| 2016 | Diana Richardson 100.0% (39,474) | Uncontested | — |
| 2014 | Karim Camara 95.9% (15,170) | Cartrell Gore 4.1% (654) | 91.8pts |
| 2012 | Karim Camara 94.9% (34,561) | Stuart A. Balberg 5.1% (1,840) | 89.8pts |
| 2010 | Karim Camara 92.1% (17,923) | Menachem M. Raitport 7.9% (1,538) | 84.2pts |
| 2008 | Karim Camara 92.7% (26,769) | Stuart Balberg 7.3% (2,096) | 85.4pts |
| 2006 | Karim Camara 92.4% (11,873) | Kenneth E. Cook 7.6% (983) | 84.8pts |
| 2005 | Karim Camara 74.3% (8,411) | Geoffrey A. Davis 16.1% (1,818) | 58.2pts |
| 2004 | Clarence Norman, Jr. 92.8% (24,567) | Clarence John 7.2% (1,896) | 85.6pts |
| 2002 | Clarence Norman, Jr. 91.0% (14,464) | Leona Williams 4.5% (722) | 86.5pts |
| 2000 | Clarence Norman, Jr. 96.7% (23,196) | Austin C. Hurd 3.3% (795) | 93.4pts |
| 1998 | Clarence Norman, Jr. 78.5% (12,290) | James Е. Davis 18.1% (2,828) | 60.4pts |
| 1996 | Clarence Norman, Jr. 93.6% (16,328) | Kenneth E. Cook 5.8% (1,007) | 87.8pts |
Primary Elections
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 (Democratic) | Diana Richardson 74.8% (14,427) | Jesse E. Hamilton 25.2% (4,849) | 49.6pts |
| 2018 (Independence) | Mario Cuomo 25.0% (3) | Andrew Cuomo 16.7% (2) | ⚡ 8.3pts |
Special Elections
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Diana C. Richardson 49.8% (4,284) | Shirley M. Patterson 25.1% (2,160) | 24.7pts |
Source: NYS Board of Elections certified results. ⚡ = margin under 10 pts. District history reflects 2022 redistricted boundaries.
Vulnerability Index AD-43
Base lean: D+81
- Limited contested election data — registration lean used as primary signal
- Ran uncontested in most recent election
Scenario model: ±5pt national environment shift applied to district base lean (D+81). Base lean blends voter registration (40%) with recent contested general election margins (60%), using up to the last 4 general elections with margins under 40 points. Ratings: Safe D/R = 15+ pts, Likely = 8–14 pts, Lean = 3–7 pts, Toss-up = within 2 pts (Assembly districts are smaller and more homogeneous than Senate districts, so tighter thresholds are used). Generic ballot from Silver Bulletin (Nate Silver), as of 10/20/2026. Not a prediction — reflects structural competitiveness under different cycle environments.
District 43 Profile
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024).
Voter Registration
Demographics
Commute Mode
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024). Race and ethnicity figures may not sum to 100% — Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity category that overlaps with racial groups.
Lobbying Activity 2024
Counts reflect bi-monthly disclosure records filed with the Ethics Commission — not individual meetings.
Top Lobbying Issues
Top Organizations Lobbying This Member
Source: NY Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government via data.ny.gov. ★ Chair = lobbying issue overlaps with a committee this member chairs. ↔ Overlap = matches committee membership or bill sponsorship focus.