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Asm. Brian Cunningham

District 43 Democrat First elected 2021

Brian Cunningham represents AD-43, a D+74 district in Brooklyn with a voter registration breakdown of 79.1% Democrat and 4.7% Republican, and has run uncontested in both 2022 and 2024; the district's base lean is modeled at D+81 across all electoral scenarios, placing him firmly in the Safe D category with no meaningful competitive history in the seat. The district is majority-Black (53.4%), with an 18.2% poverty rate, 19.8% homeownership rate, and a median household income of $79,071, reflecting a dense urban constituency with significant economic need. First elected in 2021, Cunningham has sponsored 188 bills in the 2025 session, with his heaviest concentrations in Vehicle and Traffic (25 bills), Education (21 bills), and a cluster of 12 bills each across Executive, Public Service, and Tax law areas, alongside notable activity in Social Services (10 bills) and General Business (7 bills). The brief does not identify a committee chairmanship for Cunningham, and no lobbying sector overlap data is included in this profile.AI

Topic Focus AI

Domestic Violence Protection & Family Court Jurisdiction Renewable Energy in Telecommunications Infrastructure TANF Work Requirements & Educational Pathways

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

Key Issues AI

Vehicle and Traffic 25 bills
Education 21 bills
Executive 12 bills
Public Service 12 bills
Tax 12 bills
Social Services 10 bills
General Business 7 bills
Alcoholic Beverage Control 6 bills

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

Legislative Activity (2025–2026)

Bills sponsored 188
Floor debate appearances 27
Years in office 5

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

Vehicle and Traffic 25 bills
Education 21 bills
Executive 12 bills
Public Service 12 bills
Tax 12 bills
Social Services 10 bills
General Business 7 bills
Alcoholic Beverage Control 6 bills

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

Floor Speeches: In Support (27) AI

A09512 Amend Vehicle and Traffic Law to provide defense from liability for certain MTA vehicles standing, stopped, or parked in violation of bus lane restrictions in New York City 2026-01-21 PASSED
A09514 Excluding certain food donations from sales tax under Tax Law 2026-01-20 PASSED
A04216 Sales tax exclusion for food donations 2025-06-17 PASSED
A03295 Relating to work study requirements for TANF recipients aged 18-19, allowing homework in pursuit of a four-year degree to count toward the 20-hour-per-week work requirement 2025-06-10 PASSED

Sponsor explained the bill allows homework in pursuit of a four-year degree to count toward the 20-hour weekly work requirement, with optional local supervision. Noted that 34 states have similar programs with demonstrated success in increasing grades and income outcomes.

A03295 Relating to work study requirements for TANF recipients aged 18-19, allowing homework in pursuit of a four-year degree to count toward the 20-hour-per-week work requirement 2025-06-10 PASSED

Sponsor explained the bill allows homework in pursuit of a four-year degree to count toward the 20-hour weekly work requirement for 18-19 year olds, with optional local supervision. Noted that 34 states have similar programs with demonstrated success in increasing grades and income outcomes.

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 Brian A. Cunningham 100.0% (43,422) Uncontested
2022 Brian A. Cunningham 100.0% (29,512) Uncontested
2020 Diana Richardson 89.2% (43,629) Menachem M. Raitport 10.8% (5,277) 78.4pts
2018 Diana Richardson 100.0% (35,595) Uncontested
2016 Diana Richardson 100.0% (39,474) Uncontested
2014 Karim Camara 95.9% (15,170) Cartrell Gore 4.1% (654) 91.8pts
2012 Karim Camara 94.9% (34,561) Stuart A. Balberg 5.1% (1,840) 89.8pts
2010 Karim Camara 92.1% (17,923) Menachem M. Raitport 7.9% (1,538) 84.2pts
2008 Karim Camara 92.7% (26,769) Stuart Balberg 7.3% (2,096) 85.4pts
2006 Karim Camara 92.4% (11,873) Kenneth E. Cook 7.6% (983) 84.8pts
2005 Karim Camara 74.3% (8,411) Geoffrey A. Davis 16.1% (1,818) 58.2pts
2004 Clarence Norman, Jr. 92.8% (24,567) Clarence John 7.2% (1,896) 85.6pts
2002 Clarence Norman, Jr. 91.0% (14,464) Leona Williams 4.5% (722) 86.5pts
2000 Clarence Norman, Jr. 96.7% (23,196) Austin C. Hurd 3.3% (795) 93.4pts
1998 Clarence Norman, Jr. 78.5% (12,290) James Е. Davis 18.1% (2,828) 60.4pts
1996 Clarence Norman, Jr. 93.6% (16,328) Kenneth E. Cook 5.8% (1,007) 87.8pts

Primary Elections

Year Winner Runner-up Margin
2020 (Democratic) Diana Richardson 74.8% (14,427) Jesse E. Hamilton 25.2% (4,849) 49.6pts
2018 (Independence) Mario Cuomo 25.0% (3) Andrew Cuomo 16.7% (2) 8.3pts

Special Elections

Year Winner Runner-up Margin
2015 Diana C. Richardson 49.8% (4,284) Shirley M. Patterson 25.1% (2,160) 24.7pts

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

Vulnerability Index

Base lean: D+81

Favorable D
Safe D
Neutral
Safe D
Favorable R
Safe D
  • 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 (D+81). 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 43 Profile

Population 135,808
Median income $79,071
Median rent $1,759
Homeownership 19.8%
Education (BA+) 42.8%
Poverty rate 18.2%
Uninsured rate 5.3%
Unemployment rate 8.8%

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

Voter Registration

79%
16%
Dem 79.1% Rep 4.7% Ind/Other 16.3%

Demographics

White 28.5%
Black 53.4%
Hispanic 10.1%
Asian 3.3%
Median age 36.3
Foreign born 34.1%
Limited English households 4.2%
Veterans 1.3%
Disability rate 12.2%

Commute Mode

Drive alone 13.0%
Public transit 51.5%

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

Top Lobbying Issues

Real Estate – General 10 disclosures
Health – General 1 disclosures
Health – Health Services / HMOs 1 disclosures
Health – Hospitals & Nursing Homes 1 disclosures
Consumer Issues/Safety/Protection 1 disclosures

Top Organizations Lobbying This Member

REAL ESTATE BOARD OF NEW YORK, INC. 10 disclosures
32BJ Labor Industry Cooperation Trust Fund 3 disclosures
AAA NEW YORK STATE, INC. 1 disclosures

Source: NY Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government via data.ny.gov. Counts reflect bi-monthly disclosure records — not individual meetings.