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Asm. Kwani O'Pharrow

District 11 Democrat First elected 2025

Kwani O'Pharrow represents AD-11, a district rated D+19 but with a demonstrated history of competitive general elections — O'Pharrow won the 2024 race by just 1.6 points over Joseph R. Cardinale (50.8% to 49.2%), and predecessor Kimberly Jean-Pierre won by only 0.8 points in 2022, making this one of the more electorally volatile districts despite its partisan lean. The district is majority-homeowner (77.5%) with a racially diverse population — 44.1% white, 31.2% Hispanic, and 21.7% Black — a median household income of $121,622, and a voter registration breakdown of 42.6% Democrat, 29.5% Independent, and 23.8% Republican. Under a favorable Republican environment, the 2026 scenario model places the seat at only Lean D, reflecting genuine vulnerability for a first-term member elected in 2025. O'Pharrow's 68 sponsored bills in the 2025 session concentrate most heavily in Education (10 bills), with additional focus on General Business, Real Property Taxation, Tax, Workers' Compensation, and Banking.AI

Topic Focus AI

Executive Law - Confidentiality ProtectionsA06721-A Government Appointment & Candidate Pool ExpansionA02746 Law Enforcement Mental Health & Suicide PreventionA06721-A Peer-to-Peer Counseling Training ProgramsA06721-A Transportation Commission Membership SelectionA02746 Veterans' Benefits & LegislationA08089 Veterans' Support ServicesA08089

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

Local Finance 3 for A11006
Education 1 for A11007
Education 10 bills
Education 4 bills
General Business 4 bills
Real Property Taxation 4 bills
Tax 4 bills
Real Property Tax 3 bills
Workers' Compensation 3 bills
Banking 2 bills

Key issue areas derived from floor debate speeches and sponsored bill law sections.

Legislative Activity (2025–2026)

Bills sponsored 68
Floor debate appearances 16
Years in office 1

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

Education 10 bills
Education 4 bills
General Business 4 bills
Real Property Taxation 4 bills
Tax 4 bills
Real Property Tax 3 bills
Workers' Compensation 3 bills
Banking 2 bills

Grouped by law section from sponsored Assembly bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation API.

Floor Speeches: In Support (16) AI

A05079-E An act to amend the General Business Law and the Executive Law, in relation to school security guards 2026-06-02 PASSED
A05079-E An act to amend the General Business Law and the Executive Law, in relation to school security guards 2026-06-02 PASSED
A11007 An act to amend Chapter 548 of the Laws of 2004 amending the Education Law relating to certain tuition waivers for police officer students of the City University of New York, in relation to the effectiveness thereof 2026-05-12 PASSED
A04460 Amend Criminal Procedure Law designating fire marshals employed by Long Island Rail Road Company Office of the Fire Marshals as peace officers 2026-05-11 PASSED
A04460 Amend Criminal Procedure Law designating fire marshals employed by Long Island Rail Road Company Office of the Fire Marshals as peace officers 2026-05-11 PASSED

Floor Speeches: In Opposition AI

No recorded floor speeches in opposition found in our transcript archive for this member.

Electoral History

General Elections

Year Winner Runner-up Margin
2024 Kwani B. O'Pharrow 50.8% (26,878) Joseph R. Cardinale 49.2% (25,981) ⚡ 1.6pts
2022 Kimberly Jean-Pierre 50.4% (18,362) Christopher Sperber 49.6% (18,077) ⚡ 0.8pts
2020 Kimberly Jean-Pierre 59.6% (30,392) Eugene M. Murray 40.4% (20,573) 19.2pts
2018 Kimberly Jean-Pierre 64.4% (23,485) Kevin V. Sabella 35.6% (13,006) 28.8pts
2016 Kimberly Jean-Pierre 60.1% (26,129) Shawn Cullinane 39.9% (17,369) 20.2pts
2014 Kimberly Jean-Pierre 58.0% (11,596) Mark M. Gallo 33.3% (6,670) 24.7pts
2012 Robert K. Sweeney 79.3% (28,064) Rashad Cureton 20.7% (7,326) 58.6pts
2010 Robert K. Sweeney 67.4% (16,798) Brett A. Robinson 32.6% (8,143) 34.8pts
2008 Robert K. Sweeney 71.3% (28,358) James А. McDonaugh 28.7% (11,415) 42.6pts
2006 Robert K. Sweeney 93.0% (15,485) Donald H. Nohs 7.0% (1,167) 86.0pts
2004 Robert K. Sweeney 93.4% (26,145) Louis Molinaro 6.6% (1,858) 86.8pts
2002 Robert K. Sweeney 90.7% (14,543) Louis Molinaro 9.3% (1,489) 81.4pts
2000 Robert K. Sweeney 89.4% (23,139) Louis Molinaro 5.9% (1,515) 83.5pts
1998 Robert K. Sweeney 66.5% (15,626) Richard J. Burke 29.7% (6,986) 36.8pts
1996 Robert K. Sweeney 66.4% (22,482) Joseph A. Santorelli 33.6% (11,370) 32.8pts

Primary Elections

Year Winner Runner-up Margin
2016 (Democratic) Kimberly Jean-Pierre 78.2% (1,411) Jordan K. Wilson, Jr. 21.8% (394) 56.4pts
2016 (Republican) Shawn Cullinane 96.0% (624) Kimberly Jean-Pierre 4.0% (26) 92.0pts
2016 (Reform) Kimberly Jean-Pierre 100.0% (6) Uncontested —

Source: NYS Board of Elections certified results. ⚡ = margin under 10 pts. District history reflects 2022 redistricted boundaries.

Vulnerability Index

Base lean: D+10

Favorable D
Safe D
Neutral
Likely D
Favorable R
Lean D
  • Won last contested race by only 1.7 points

Scenario model: ±5pt national environment shift applied to district base lean (D+10). 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 11 Profile

Population 138,372
Median income $121,622
Median rent $2,108
Homeownership 77.5%
Education (BA+) 30.6%
Poverty rate 6.9%
Uninsured rate 5.8%
Unemployment rate 5.2%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024).

Voter Registration

43%
24%
34%
Dem 42.6% Rep 23.8% Ind/Other 33.6%

Demographics

White 44.1%
Black 21.7%
Hispanic 31.2%
Asian 3.1%
Median age 38.7
Foreign born 24.9%
Limited English households 5.6%
Veterans 3.7%
Disability rate 11.3%

Commute Mode

Drive alone 68.6%
Public transit 7.4%

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

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.