← All Assembly Members
R

Asm. Scott Gray

District 116 Republican First elected 2023

Scott Gray represents AD-116, a R+10 district in New York State where Republicans hold a 39.0% to 28.6% registration advantage over Democrats, with 26.2% enrolled as Independents. First elected in 2023, Gray ran largely unopposed in 2024, capturing 76.7% against a blank enrollment candidate for a 53.4-point margin; the district's competitive history predates his tenure, with races in 2018, 2016, and 2014 all decided by margins of 6.6 points or fewer. Under the 2026 scenario model, the district rates as Likely R in a neutral environment and Safe R in a favorable Republican environment, with a base lean of R+13. The district is predominantly white (88.7%), with a median household income of $65,558, a 15.9% poverty rate, and a 64.5% homeownership rate, consistent with a rural or small-city character in northern New York. Gray sponsored 73 bills in the 2025 session, with Education (7 bills), Penal (6 bills), and Vehicle and Traffic (6 bills) representing his top three focus areas; Correction (4 bills) and Public Officers (4 bills) also featured prominently in his legislative portfolio.AI

Topic Focus AI

Public Service Commission Regulatory Authority Utility Rate Regulation & Cost Pass-Through Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Development Emergency Response & Utility Restoration Standards Energy Cost Allocation & Ratepayer Protection Firefighter Memorial & Line-of-Duty Death Recognition NYSERDA Authority & Legislative Mandates Property Tax Foreclosure Procedures

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 7 bills
Penal 6 bills
Vehicle and Traffic 6 bills
Correction 4 bills
Public Officers 4 bills
Public Authorities 3 bills
Transportation 3 bills
Alcoholic Beverage Control 2 bills

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

Legislative Activity (2025–2026)

Bills sponsored 73
Floor debate appearances 10
Years in office 3

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 7 bills
Penal 6 bills
Vehicle and Traffic 6 bills
Correction 4 bills
Public Officers 4 bills
Public Authorities 3 bills
Transportation 3 bills
Alcoholic Beverage Control 2 bills

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

Floor Speeches: In Support (5) AI

A08022-A An act to amend the Criminal Procedure Law, in relation to requiring certain covered platforms to provide a process for law enforcement agencies to contact such platform and to comply with search warrants within 72 hours 2026-02-09 PASSED
A08187-A Highway Law - designating portion of state highway system as 'Michael J. Finerson Memorial Bridge' 2024-06-06 PASSED
A05128 An act to amend the Highway Law, in relation to designating a portion of the state highway system as the "Firefighter Peyton L. S. Morse Memorial Highway" 2023-06-09 PASSED

Honored Peyton Morse, a volunteer firefighter who died in the line of duty in March 2021, detailing his service, community involvement, and tragic death during training with the Watertown Fire Department.

A05014 An act to amend the Criminal Procedure Law, in relation to designating as peace officers certain Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority security personnel 2023-05-24 PASSED
A05021-A An act to amend the Tax Law, in relation to extending the authorization granted to the County of St. Lawrence to impose an additional one percent of sales and compensating use taxes 2023-05-24 PASSED

Floor Speeches: In Opposition (5) AI

A09462 Chapter amendment postponing effective date of 100-foot rule repeal for gas service hookups 2026-03-31

Questioned how the claimed $600 million savings would actually migrate to ratepayers and noted the chamber inconsistently applies principles about socializing costs across different energy policies.

A09462 Chapter amendment postponing effective date of 100-foot rule repeal for gas service hookups 2026-03-31

Questioned how the claimed $600 million savings would migrate to ratepayers and noted the chamber inconsistently applies principles about socialized costs across different energy policies.

A01410 Utility emergency response plan time-based restoration guidelines 2026-03-24 PASSED

The bill will increase utility costs that are passed to ratepayers through rate increases. Existing PSC statutory frameworks already incentivize restoration and penalize delays, making the bill unnecessary and problematic for ratepayers already paying high bills.

A01012-A EV Fast Charging Station Implementation Plan 2026-03-18

Questioned whether the bill is essentially a study despite sponsor's denials, whether NYSERDA needs legislative mandate given its broad authority, and whether adequate data exists on charging station gaps and utilization rates before asking ratepayers to fund additional spending.

A06953 An act relating to a moratorium on in rem tax foreclosures in response to the Tyler/Hennepin Supreme Court decision 2023-06-20 PASSED

Argued the moratorium is moot because municipalities are already bound by Tyler and can proceed with foreclosures while complying; contended the delay will only increase taxes and late fees, diminishing surpluses available to homeowners, and that the Legislature can address Article XI simultaneously.

Electoral History

General Elections

Year Winner Runner-up Margin
2024 Scott A. Gray 76.7% (43,672) Blank Enrollment 23.3% (13,266) 53.4pts
2022 Scott A. Gray 70.5% (25,288) Susan M. Duffy 29.5% (10,586) 41.0pts
2020 Mark C. Walczyk 62.8% (33,023) Alex V. Hammond 37.2% (19,603) 25.6pts
2018 Mark C. Walczyk 53.3% (20,998) Addie A. E. Jenne 46.7% (18,415) 6.6pts
2016 Addie Jenne Russell 53.2% (24,473) John Byrne 46.8% (21,509) 6.4pts
2014 Addie Jenne Russell 47.7% (14,667) John L. Byrne, III 47.4% (14,572) 0.3pts
2012 Addie Jenne Russell 100.0% (33,329) Uncontested
2011 Anthony J. Brindisi 59.3% (9,001) Gregory Johnson 40.4% (6,133) 18.9pts
2010 Ro Ann M. Destito 59.5% (18,709) Gregory J. Johnson 40.5% (12,724) 19.0pts
2008 Ro Ann M. Destito 67.9% (27,226) Kevin W. McDonald 32.1% (12,843) 35.8pts
2006 Ro Ann M. Destito 100.0% (21,319) Uncontested
2004 Ro Ann M. Destito 77.3% (27,267) John E. Dote 22.7% (8,011) 54.6pts
2002 Ro Ann M. Destito 67.7% (21,495) Joseph J. Brennan 32.3% (10,244) 35.4pts
2000 Roann M. Destito 89.0% (20,232) John Arena 11.0% (2,502) 78.0pts
1998 Ro Ann Destito 73.4% (19,727) Malcolm R. Didio 26.6% (7,146) 46.8pts
1996 Roann M. Destito 62.7% (21,120) А. Sandra Caruso 37.3% (12,567) 25.4pts

Primary Elections

Year Winner Runner-up Margin
2022 (Republican) Scott A. Gray 53.1% (3,473) Susan M. Duffy 46.9% (3,069) 6.2pts
2016 (Republican) John Byrne 42.2% (1,848) William J. Sheridan 41.1% (1,798) 1.1pts
2014 (Republican) John L. Byrne, III 66.1% (2,475) John S. Humphrey 29.5% (1,103) 36.6pts
2014 (Conservative) Russell J. Finley 48.9% (68) John L. Byrne, III 21.6% (30) 27.3pts

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

Vulnerability Index

Base lean: R+13

Favorable D
Lean R
Neutral
Likely R
Favorable R
Safe R
  • Limited contested election data — registration lean used as primary signal

Scenario model: ±5pt national environment shift applied to district base lean (R+13). 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 116 Profile

Population 135,672
Median income $65,558
Median rent $908
Homeownership 64.5%
Education (BA+) 27.9%
Poverty rate 15.9%
Uninsured rate 6.0%
Unemployment rate 5.1%

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

Voter Registration

29%
39%
32%
Dem 28.6% Rep 39.0% Ind/Other 32.4%

Demographics

White 88.7%
Black 2.8%
Hispanic 3.6%
Asian 1.7%
Median age 38.7
Foreign born 4.1%
Limited English households 0.8%
Veterans 8.6%
Disability rate 16.8%

Commute Mode

Drive alone 75.9%
Public transit 0.4%

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.