Asm. Christopher Friend
Christopher Friend has represented AD-124 since 2011 in a district carrying an R+16 registration lean and a base electoral model of R+20, running uncontested in both 2022 and 2024; when contested, his margins have been consistent, reaching 28.6 points in 2020 and 30.6 points in 2016, placing the seat in the Safe R category across all modeled scenarios. The district is predominantly rural and white (88.2%), with a 72.5% homeownership rate, a median household income of $66,926, a poverty rate of 15.7%, and Republican registration at 42.4% against 26.2% Democratic. Friend's 2025 session sponsorship spans 21 bills, with focus areas including Executive (2 bills), Tax (2 bills), and single-bill entries in General Obligations, Retirement and Social Security, Constitution, and Tioga County-specific legislation.AI
Topic Focus AI
Topics extracted by AI from joint Senate-Assembly committee hearing transcripts and floor debate. 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 (1) AI
Emphasized the health crisis of microplastics crossing the blood-brain barrier and affecting human bodies, and noted the technology is already available off-the-shelf and could be installed immediately by plumbers.
Floor Speeches: In Opposition (4) AI
Friend opposed the bill as an unfair mandate on homeowners who may not want or own electric vehicles, arguing the $3,000-$10,000 cost is significant for families and that EV technology is not as clean as claimed due to increased tire and brake wear pollution.
Objected to mandating $3,000-$10,000 in costs for homeowners who may not want electric vehicles, and disputed claims that EV technology is clean, citing reports that electric vehicles cause faster wheel and brake wear, releasing pollutants.
Disputed the term 'zero-emission vehicles,' arguing that heavier EVs cause faster brake and tire wear, releasing more carcinogens into communities. Claimed the bill misleads the public about environmental benefits.
Explained his background working with supercritical CO2, noting it is already used safely in textile, pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic, and ophthalmic industries. Argued that CO2 would convert back to gaseous state and has greater affinity for shale than natural gas already present. Noted that workers in his area were devastated when fracking was shut down and that it was a huge economic boon.
Electoral History AD-124
General Elections
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Christopher S. Friend 100.0% (46,573) | Uncontested | — |
| 2022 | Christopher S. Friend 100.0% (36,564) | Uncontested | — |
| 2020 | Christopher S. Friend 64.3% (37,976) | Randy Reid 35.7% (21,053) | 28.6pts |
| 2018 | Christopher S. Friend 62.0% (28,293) | Bill Batrowny 38.0% (17,340) | 24.0pts |
| 2016 | Christopher S. Friend 65.3% (34,344) | Bill Batrowny 34.7% (18,219) | 30.6pts |
| 2014 | Christopher S. Friend 100.0% (27,439) | Uncontested | — |
| 2012 | Christopher S. Friend 100.0% (37,789) | Uncontested | — |
| 2010 | William A. Barclay 100.0% (31,301) | Uncontested | — |
| 2008 | William А. Barclay 66.8% (34,594) | Jerome L. Burns 33.2% (17,198) | 33.6pts |
| 2006 | William A. Barclay 55.6% (22,855) | J. Edward Putnam 44.4% (18,286) | 11.2pts |
| 2004 | William A. Barclay 100.0% (39,125) | Uncontested | — |
| 2002 | Will Barclay 59.6% (22,815) | E. Clyde Ohl 40.4% (15,437) | 19.2pts |
| 2000 | Robert J. Warner 92.8% (27,409) | Victor M. Salcedo 7.2% (2,135) | 85.6pts |
| 1998 | Robert J. Warner 100.0% (22,168) | Uncontested | — |
| 1996 | Robert J. Warner 65.1% (26,521) | Pete Charnetsky 34.9% (14,211) | 30.2pts |
Primary Elections
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 (Republican) | Christopher S. Friend 74.6% (6,014) | RC Ike 25.4% (2,048) | 49.2pts |
| 2018 (Democratic) | Bill Batrowny 53.8% (2,597) | Randy Reid 46.2% (2,226) | ⚡ 7.6pts |
Source: NYS Board of Elections certified results. ⚡ = margin under 10 pts. District history reflects 2022 redistricted boundaries.
Vulnerability Index AD-124
Base lean: R+20
- 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 (R+20). 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 6/18/2026. Not a prediction — reflects structural competitiveness under different cycle environments.
District 124 Profile
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024).
Voter Registration
Demographics
Commute Mode
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 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
No lobbying disclosures on record for this member in the available dataset.
Source: NY Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government via data.ny.gov.