Asm. Daniel Norber
Daniel Norber (R-AD-16) is among the most electorally vulnerable members of the New York State Assembly, having won his 2024 race against Gina L. Sillitti by just 1.0 point in a district that carries a D+10 partisan lean and a 10-point Democratic registration advantage, with Democrats holding 37,328 registrations (37.2%) against Republicans' 26,853 (26.8%); scenario modeling rates the seat as Lean D in a neutral environment and Toss-up only under favorable Republican conditions. AD-16 is a high-income, highly educated suburban district with a median household income of $161,985, a 67.2% bachelor's degree attainment rate, 81.0% homeownership, and a racially diverse population that is 59.0% white, 27.8% Asian, 9.4% Hispanic, and 2.0% Black. First elected in 2025, Norber has sponsored 22 bills in his initial session, with his sponsorship concentrated in Penal Law (5 bills), Tax (3 bills), and Public Authorities (2 bills), alongside single bills in Cannabis, Civil Rights, Education, Elder, and General Municipal law. The district's competitive history — with seven of the last eight general elections decided by margins under 8 points — underscores the structural instability of the seat Norber now holds.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 (2) AI
Argued the bill is a commonsense measure protecting New Yorkers, especially children, from deliberately addictive digital platform features. Emphasized the bill provides transparency and informed choice through warning labels, and noted mental health professionals are alarmed about rising anxiety and depression linked to excessive platform use.
Argued that family dysfunction and instability are root causes of social problems, and any initiative to help families should be a top priority regardless of cost.
Floor Speeches: In Opposition (2) AI
Expressed concern about the six-month terminal illness standard as vague and arbitrary, citing his father's unexpected recovery from kidney failure despite a dire prognosis.
Raised concerns about cannabis exposure to children at farmers markets and questioned whether there are limits on how many pop-up shops can operate at a single farmers market, expressing worry about the experience being ruined for families.
Electoral History AD-16
General Elections
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Daniel J. Norber 50.5% (34,843) | Gina L. Sillitti 49.5% (34,104) | ⚡ 1.0pts |
| 2022 | Gina L. Sillitti 51.7% (26,537) | Vibhuti N. Jha 48.3% (24,752) | ⚡ 3.4pts |
| 2020 | Gina L. Sillitti 53.7% (35,455) | Ragini Srivastava 45.8% (30,263) | ⚡ 7.9pts |
| 2018 | Anthony D'Urso 62.5% (30,151) | Byron A. Divins, Jr. 37.5% (18,062) | 25.0pts |
| 2016 | Anthony D'Urso 52.2% (29,606) | Matthew Varvaro 47.8% (27,118) | ⚡ 4.4pts |
| 2014 | Michelle Schimel 60.4% (18,427) | Douglas M. Lee 39.6% (12,089) | 20.8pts |
| 2012 | Michelle Schimel 61.2% (29,206) | Richard E. Stiek 38.8% (18,487) | 22.4pts |
| 2010 | Michelle Schimel 58.3% (23,384) | Scott D. Diamond 41.7% (16,748) | 16.6pts |
| 2008 | Michelle Е. Schimel 63.4% (34,568) | Matthew S. Mitchell 36.6% (19,978) | 26.8pts |
| 2006 | Thomas P. DiNapoli 74.1% (27,296) | Louis F. Chisari 25.9% (9,516) | 48.2pts |
| 2004 | Thomas P. DiNapoli 69.3% (40,179) | Michael P. McGillicuddy 30.7% (17,791) | 38.6pts |
| 2002 | Thomas P. DiNapoli 67.6% (25,301) | Javier E. Vargas 28.1% (10,527) | 39.5pts |
| 2000 | Thomas P. DiNapoli 70.3% (35,621) | Jerome J. Galluscio 29.7% (15,053) | 40.6pts |
| 1998 | Thomas P. DiNapoli 67.1% (26,536) | Thomas Zampino 32.9% (13,027) | 34.2pts |
| 1996 | Thomas P. Di Napoli 65.9% (31,474) | Edward K. Kitt 34.1% (16,297) | 31.8pts |
Special Elections
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Michelle Schimel 85.8% (5,615) | Ryan DeCicco 14.2% (933) | 71.6pts |
Source: NYS Board of Elections certified results. ⚡ = margin under 10 pts. District history reflects 2022 redistricted boundaries.
Vulnerability Index AD-16
Base lean: D+4
- Won last contested race by only 1.1 points
Scenario model: ±5pt national environment shift applied to district base lean (D+4). 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 16 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.