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Asm. Doug Smith

District 5 Republican First elected 2017

Doug Smith represents AD-5, a reliably Republican district carrying an R+7 registration lean with 35.1% Republican and 28.2% Democratic enrollment, and rated Safe R across all modeled 2026 electoral scenarios. First elected in 2017, Smith has consistently expanded his margins, winning in 2024 with 64.5% against Michael A. Reynolds for a 29.0-point margin, up from a 17.4-point margin in his first general election in 2018. The district is a high-income, majority-white, heavily homeowning suburban community with a median household income of $123,888, a homeownership rate of 79.8%, and a population of 136,012. In the 2025 session, Smith sponsored 28 bills, with the largest concentration in Penal Law (8 bills), followed by State Finance (3 bills), and smaller clusters in Education, Highway, Public Authorities, and Vehicle and Traffic law (2 bills each).AI

Topic Focus AI

Campus Safety & Criminal History Screening College Housing & Student Safety Policies Insurance Fraud Prevention & Detection Judicial Appointments & Separation of Powers Private Insurance Regulation & Inspections School District Funding & Education Budget Teacher Employment & Professional Staff Protection

Topics extracted by AI from joint Senate-Assembly committee hearing transcripts and floor debate. Tag size reflects number of supporting citations.

Key Issues AI

Education 1 for A5704
Penal 8 bills
State Finance 3 bills
Education 2 bills
Highway 2 bills
Public Authorities 2 bills
Vehicle and Traffic 2 bills
Banking 1 bills
Executive 1 bills

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

Legislative Activity (2025–2026)

Bills sponsored 28
Floor debate appearances 7
Years in office 9

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

Penal 8 bills
State Finance 3 bills
Education 2 bills
Highway 2 bills
Public Authorities 2 bills
Vehicle and Traffic 2 bills
Banking 1 bill
Executive 1 bill

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

Floor Speeches: In Support (2) AI

A04938 An act to amend the Labor Law, in relation to providing protections for telecommunications tower technicians 2025-05-05 PASSED
A5704 An act to amend the Real Property Law, in relation to increases of rent in manufactured home parks 2024-03-14 LAID ASIDE

Floor Speeches: In Opposition (5) AI

A06637 An act to amend the Executive Law and the Education Law, in relation to prohibiting mandatory disclosure of a criminal history record in certain circumstances 2024-06-06

Raised concerns about campus safety, noting that while SUNY does not currently use criminal history checks for admission, they do for housing decisions, and questioned whether institutions should have access to information about students with histories of violence or sexual abuse.

A06637 An act to amend the Executive Law and the Education Law, in relation to prohibiting mandatory disclosure of a criminal history record in certain circumstances 2024-06-06

As a former educator, expressed concern that colleges need access to criminal history information for housing decisions to keep students safe, particularly regarding students with histories of violence or sexual abuse.

A09845 An act making appropriations for the support of government; to amend Chapter 111 of the Laws of 2024, relating to making appropriations for the support of government, in relation thereto; to amend Chapter 113 of the Laws of 2024, relating to making appropriations for the support of government, in relation thereto; and to amend Chapter 114 of the Laws of 2024, relating to making appropriations for the support of government, in relation thereto, and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof. 2024-04-12 PASSED

As Ranking Member of the Assembly Education Committee, expressed concern that school districts face deep cuts under the Governor's proposal, with over 100 teachers and professionals losing jobs in his district. Criticized the inclusion of policy items in the budget rather than focusing on financial priorities for schools.

A05983 An act to amend the Judiciary Law, in relation to appointments to the office of associate judge of the court of appeals 2023-03-31

As a non-attorney, objected to changing the rules to benefit a specific situation and felt the bill weakens the separation of powers between branches of government. Argued a second list could be generated with qualified candidates and the bill appears designed to benefit two specific people on the current list.

A3172-A An act to amend the Insurance Law, in relation to inspections of private passenger automobiles prior to the provision of coverage for physical damage thereto; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof. 2023-03-29

Regulation 79 is a successful fraud-fighting program that saves $41 in fraud prevention for every $1 invested and has prevented $2.4 billion in fraudulent damage claims over five years. Making it optional would spike insurance premiums as demonstrated in Massachusetts, where premiums rose 61 percent after a similar program became optional.

Electoral History

General Elections

Year Winner Runner-up Margin
2024 Douglas M. Smith 64.5% (41,474) Michael A. Reynolds 35.5% (22,783) 29.0pts
2022 Douglas M. Smith 67.1% (33,243) James M. Anthony 32.9% (16,278) 34.2pts
2020 Douglas M. Smith 61.3% (37,210) Alfred Ianacci 38.7% (23,516) 22.6pts
2018 Douglas M. Smith 58.7% (25,075) Timothy L. Hall 41.3% (17,668) 17.4pts
2016 Alfred C. Graf 63.6% (33,384) Deborah L. Slinkosky 34.9% (18,313) 28.7pts
2014 Alfred C. Graf 67.0% (16,968) Deborah L. Slinkosky 33.0% (8,365) 34.0pts
2012 Alfred C. Graf 58.8% (24,493) Victor E. Salamone 41.2% (17,183) 17.6pts
2010 Alfred C. Graf 49.5% (17,810) Kenneth J. Mangan 29.4% (10,588) 20.1pts
2008 Ginny А. Fields 63.5% (30,191) John W. Bugler 36.5% (17,334) 27.0pts
2006 Ginny A. Fields 60.9% (18,406) William M. Faulk, Jr. 39.1% (11,826) 21.8pts
2004 Ginny A. Fields 56.6% (29,106) John W. Bugler 43.4% (22,363) 13.2pts
2002 Steve Levy 69.0% (21,950) Kathleen A. Brand 31.0% (9,880) 38.0pts
2000 Steve Levy 74.9% (27,438) Thomas E. Sarsfield 25.1% (9,175) 49.8pts
1998 Paul E. Harenberg 58.9% (15,282) Pierce F. Cohalan 38.6% (10,013) 20.3pts
1996 Paul E. Harenberg 66.4% (22,344) Francis P. Murphy 33.6% (11,301) 32.8pts

Special Elections

Year Winner Runner-up Margin
2018 Douglas M. Smith 63.2% (3,031) Deborah L. Slinkosky 36.8% (1,767) 26.4pts

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

Vulnerability Index

Base lean: R+23

Favorable D
Safe R
Neutral
Safe R
Favorable R
Safe R

Scenario model: ±5pt national environment shift applied to district base lean (R+23). 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 5 Profile

Population 136,012
Median income $123,888
Median rent $2,308
Homeownership 79.8%
Education (BA+) 33.3%
Poverty rate 6.1%
Uninsured rate 4.3%
Unemployment rate 5.4%

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

Voter Registration

28%
35%
37%
Dem 28.2% Rep 35.1% Ind/Other 36.6%

Demographics

White 72.0%
Black 5.3%
Hispanic 18.8%
Asian 6.5%
Median age 38.8
Foreign born 13.7%
Limited English households 2.4%
Veterans 4.2%
Disability rate 10.5%

Commute Mode

Drive alone 77.7%
Public transit 3.5%

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.