Asm. Michael Benedetto
Michael Benedetto represents AD-82, a D+50 district in which Democrats hold a 63.3% voter registration advantage over Republicans at 13.7%, with 19.7% enrolled as Independent; the district is 41.7% Hispanic, 29.4% white, and 26.5% Black, with a median household income of $71,652 and a homeownership rate of 44.9%. First elected in 2004, Benedetto won his 2024 general election by a 37.8-point margin over Juan De La Cruz, and his 2026 outlook is rated Safe D across all modeled electoral environments, with a base lean of D+44. In the 2025 session, Benedetto sponsored 31 bills, with Education as his dominant focus area at 11 bills, followed by Penal, Private Housing Finance, Public Health, and Resolutions at 2 bills each, and single bills in General Municipal and Parks. No committee chairmanship or lobbying sector data is listed in this brief.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 (15) AI
Debate centered on whether the bill's Wicks Law exemption for the NYC School Construction Authority remains necessary given changes to Labor Law since 1989. Assemblymember Durso questioned whether projects under $25 million lack adequate labor protections, including project labor agreements (PLAs) and prevailing wage requirements. Benedetto argued the exemption has been in place for 35 years and allows faster project completion, with labor protections through general agreements requiring apprenticeships and union workers. Assemblymember Goodell noted that if the exemption reduces costs and increases efficiency, other municipalities should have the same opportunity to opt out of Wicks requirements.
Floor Speeches: In Opposition AI
No recorded floor speeches in opposition found in our transcript archive for this member.
Electoral History AD-82
General Elections
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Michael Benedetto 68.9% (29,668) | Juan De La Cruz 31.1% (13,362) | 37.8pts |
| 2022 | Michael R. Benedetto 66.3% (19,197) | John M. Greaney, Jr. 33.7% (9,775) | 32.6pts |
| 2020 | Michael R. Benedetto 74.4% (38,120) | John A. DeStefano 22.9% (11,744) | 51.5pts |
| 2018 | Michael R. Benedetto 81.8% (28,227) | Elizabeth A. English 16.0% (5,509) | 65.8pts |
| 2016 | Michael R. Benedetto 81.0% (31,091) | Noel Lopez 14.9% (5,737) | 66.1pts |
| 2014 | Michael R. Benedetto 82.2% (15,214) | Michael J. Eginton 13.1% (2,417) | 69.1pts |
| 2012 | Michael R. Benedetto 84.7% (32,082) | William E. Britt, Jr. 15.3% (5,804) | 69.4pts |
| 2010 | Michael R. Benedetto 73.1% (17,035) | Michael A. Rendino 26.9% (6,257) | 46.2pts |
| 2008 | Michael R. Benedetto 82.9% (29,619) | Raymond Capone 17.1% (6,092) | 65.8pts |
| 2006 | Michael R. Benedetto 81.4% (16,632) | Raymond Capone 18.6% (3,795) | 62.8pts |
| 2004 | Michael R. Benedetto 76.2% (22,953) | Raymond Capone 23.8% (7,166) | 52.4pts |
| 2002 | Stephen B. Kaufman 80.6% (15,595) | Sarah Tuttle 19.4% (3,764) | 61.2pts |
| 2000 | Stephen B. Kaufman 82.8% (23,552) | Sarah Tuttle 17.2% (4,902) | 65.6pts |
| 1998 | Stephen B. Kaufman 75.5% (16,862) | Sarah Tuttle 15.8% (3,536) | 59.7pts |
| 1996 | Stephen B. Kaufman 62.9% (21,190) | John J. Calandra 37.1% (12,519) | 25.8pts |
Primary Elections
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 (Democratic) | Michael R. Benedetto 87.1% (13,304) | Egidio Sementilli 12.9% (1,963) | 74.2pts |
Source: NYS Board of Elections certified results. ⚡ = margin under 10 pts. District history reflects 2022 redistricted boundaries.
Vulnerability Index AD-82
Base lean: D+44
Scenario model: ±5pt national environment shift applied to district base lean (D+44). 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 5/21/2026. Not a prediction — reflects structural competitiveness under different cycle environments.
District 82 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.