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Asm. Chantel Jackson

District 79 Democrat First elected 2021

Chantel Jackson represents AD-79, a D+67 district in New York City with a voter registration breakdown of 72.9% Democrat and 5.5% Republican, and has held the seat since 2021. The district is characterized by a 39.3% poverty rate, 8.3% homeownership rate, a median household income of $32,237, and a racial composition that is 45.7% Black and 56.0% Hispanic. Her electoral history reflects overwhelming dominance: she won her 2024 general election with 80.2% of the vote against Sharon Darby's 16.5%, a 63.7-point margin, and the district rates Safe D across all 2026 modeled scenarios. Jackson's 412 sponsored bills in the 2025 session concentrate most heavily in Education and Retirement and Social Security (65 bills each), followed by Civil Service and Executive law (24 bills each), with top lobbying sectors and any committee overlap data not further specified in available records.AI

Topic Focus AI

Insurance Coverage for Lactation Support Services Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Certification Transparency Tenant Notification Requirements for Pest Infestations

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

Key Issues AI

Tax 1 for A5588
Education 65 bills
Retirement and Social Security 65 bills
Civil Service 24 bills
Executive 24 bills
New York City Administrative Code 18 bills
General Business 13 bills
Vehicle and Traffic 13 bills
Public Health 12 bills

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

Legislative Activity (2025–2026)

Bills sponsored 412
Joint hearing appearances 48
Floor debate appearances 28
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

Education 65 bills
Retirement and Social Security 65 bills
Civil Service 24 bills
Executive 24 bills
New York City Administrative Code 18 bills
General Business 13 bills
Vehicle and Traffic 13 bills
Public Health 12 bills

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

Floor Speeches: In Support (28) AI

A00329-B An act to amend the Mental Hygiene Law, the Public Health Law and the Social Services Law, in relation to setting comprehensive outpatient services 2026-03-23 PASSED

Ms. Walsh explained support for the bill, noting that substance abuse disorder often co-occurs with mental health issues and that coordinated, streamlined treatment is essential. She emphasized the importance of addressing these co-occurring issues together.

A04591-A An act to amend the Public Health Law, in relation to hospital care for mastectomy, lumpectomy, and lymph node dissection patients 2026-02-09 PASSED

Assemblywoman Walsh spoke in support, noting that many women undergoing breast cancer treatment lack medical background to understand their options. She emphasized the importance of physicians and hospitals explaining treatment options to patients facing this difficult diagnosis.

A04677-B Require insurance coverage for lactation support services 2026-02-05 PASSED
A08727-A An act in relation to directing the Commissioner of Education to conduct a survey of recess held in schools serving students in kindergarten through grade six 2025-06-13 PASSED
S00946 Relating to authorizing the removal of police officer candidates from an eligible list when such candidate does not meet psychological fitness requirements or lacks good moral character standards 2025-06-10 PASSED

No substantive debate occurred. Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato, in explaining her affirmative vote, stated the bill allows sheriffs and police chiefs to remove candidates from eligible lists who do not meet psychological fitness requirements or lack good moral character, enabling departments to find the most qualified candidates while still following the list process.

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 Chantel Jackson 80.2% (20,585) Sharon Darby 16.5% (4,238) 63.7pts
2022 Chantel S. Jackson 87.1% (10,957) Richard E. Bryan 12.9% (1,616) 74.2pts
2020 Chantel Jackson 89.9% (33,008) Donald Skinner 8.2% (3,014) 81.7pts
2018 Michael A. Blake 96.4% (24,220) Gregory M. Torres 3.0% (752) 93.4pts
2016 Michael A. Blake 98.3% (30,038) Selsia Evans 1.7% (512) 96.6pts
2014 Michael A. Blake 91.7% (9,835) Marsha D. Michael 4.8% (515) 86.9pts
2012 Eric Stevenson 97.0% (28,225) Jose A. Padilla, Jr. 2.2% (651) 94.8pts
2010 Eric Stevenson 96.1% (13,658) Deborah Benbow 3.1% (436) 93.0pts
2008 Michael А. Benjamin 98.6% (26,083) Sigfredo Gonzalez 1.4% (364) 97.2pts
2006 Michael A. Benjamin 95.1% (10,704) Sharon L. Grady 4.9% (551) 90.2pts
2004 Michael A. Benjamin 94.2% (20,738) Gina Demalijaj 4.2% (925) 90.0pts
2002 Gloria Davis 93.3% (10,406) Gary Coleman 5.5% (610) 87.8pts
2000 Gloria Davis 95.3% (20,620) Mary Nuzzo 3.6% (790) 91.7pts
1998 Gloria Davis 94.2% (13,267) Mary Nuzzo 3.8% (530) 90.4pts
1996 Gloria Davis 96.1% (19,362) Mary Nuzzo 3.1% (631) 93.0pts

Primary Elections

Year Winner Runner-up Margin
2020 (Democratic) Chantel Jackson 26.0% (2,944) Cynthia L. Cox 22.9% (2,599) 3.1pts
2014 (Democratic) Michael A. Blake 37.3% (1,929) Marsha D. Michael 25.1% (1,300) 12.2pts

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

Vulnerability Index

Base lean: D+77

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

Scenario model: ±5pt national environment shift applied to district base lean (D+77). 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 79 Profile

Population 129,369
Median income $32,237
Median rent $1,169
Homeownership 8.3%
Education (BA+) 14.4%
Poverty rate 39.3%
Uninsured rate 6.8%
Unemployment rate 16.7%

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

Voter Registration

73%
22%
Dem 72.9% Rep 5.5% Ind/Other 21.6%

Demographics

White 6.7%
Black 45.7%
Hispanic 56.0%
Asian 0.7%
Median age 33.1
Foreign born 26.7%
Limited English households 19.4%
Veterans 1.5%
Disability rate 23.1%

Commute Mode

Drive alone 20.5%
Public transit 55.8%

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

Health – General 8 disclosures
Health – Health Services / HMOs 8 disclosures
Health – Hospitals & Nursing Homes 8 disclosures

Top Organizations Lobbying This Member

32BJ Labor Industry Cooperation Trust Fund 24 disclosures

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