Asm. John Lemondes
John Lemondes has represented AD-126, a Republican-leaning district, since first being elected in 2021, and holds a base lean of R+11 heading into 2026, rated Likely R under a neutral electoral environment. His most recent general election in 2024 saw him win with 55.0% of the vote against Ian Phillips, a 10.0-point margin — his narrowest to date and a tightening from his 2022 margin of 16.0 points, though the district's history under prior holders shows consistent Republican performance. The district is predominantly white (88.8%), has a homeownership rate of 75.9%, a median household income of $83,797, and a voter registration breakdown of 35.0% Republican, 29.4% Democrat, and 29.0% Independent, reflecting a suburban-rural character with a modest but durable Republican registration advantage. In the 2025 session, Lemondes sponsored 44 bills, with sponsorship concentrated in Education, Taxation, Agriculture and Markets, Correction, Environmental Conservation, Executive, Penal, and Public Service law — each accounting for 2 to 3 bills — reflecting a broad, generalist portfolio with no single dominant legislative focus area identifiable from available data.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 (11) AI
Electronic espionage is China's primary goal; bill mitigates data leakage to Chinese Communist Party. State must deny adversaries electronic espionage capabilities that undermine defense and economic interests.
Floor Speeches: In Opposition (22) AI
Cited detailed letters of opposition from National Fuel and New York State Laborers' PAC warning of increased costs for ratepayers, decreased construction jobs, and grid reliability concerns. Argued the bill contributes to affordability crisis.
Lemondes expressed concern that the bill could enable more sole-source contracting with less oversight and recommended the entire body oppose it based on maintained opposition from the Economic Development Council and Council of Mayors.
Opposed the bill citing letters of opposition from National Fuel and New York State Laborers' PAC, arguing it will increase costs for ratepayers, decrease construction jobs, and contribute to grid unreliability.
Expressed concerns that the bill may enable more sole-source contracting with less oversight, shifts approval authority from Department of State to the Authorities Budget Office, and noted opposition from the Economic Development Council and Council of Mayors.
Objected that the bill mandates reasonableness without specifying fee schedules, questioned why disclosure at the ATM terminal is insufficient, and warned the bill could create "ATM deserts" if businesses remove machines. Argued consumer choice and proper disclosure are adequate protections.
Electoral History AD-126
General Elections
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | John Lemondes, Jr. 55.0% (40,164) | Ian Phillips 45.0% (32,842) | 10.0pts |
| 2022 | John Lemondes, Jr. 58.0% (32,714) | Bruce MacBain 42.0% (23,674) | 16.0pts |
| 2020 | John Lemondes, Jr. 57.2% (38,492) | Dia Carabajal 42.8% (28,777) | 14.4pts |
| 2018 | Gary D. Finch 56.7% (30,505) | Keith Batman 43.3% (23,317) | 13.4pts |
| 2016 | Gary D. Finch 61.7% (37,078) | Diane M. Dwire 38.3% (23,047) | 23.4pts |
| 2014 | Gary D. Finch 55.1% (23,323) | Diane M. Dwire 44.9% (19,019) | 10.2pts |
| 2012 | Gary D. Finch 100.0% (44,212) | Uncontested | — |
| 2010 | Donna A. Lupardo 56.2% (21,116) | Arthur Garrison 42.4% (15,922) | 13.8pts |
| 2008 | Donna А. Lupardo 100.0% (33,877) | Uncontested | — |
| 2006 | Donna A. Lupardo 65.4% (25,714) | Jay J. Dinga 34.6% (13,626) | 30.8pts |
| 2004 | Donna A. Lupardo 54.2% (28,684) | Robert J. Warner 45.8% (24,253) | ⚡ 8.4pts |
| 2002 | Robert J. Warner 37.9% (15,260) | Donna A. Lupardo 32.9% (13,241) | ⚡ 5.0pts |
| 2000 | Gary D. Finch 100.0% (29,777) | Uncontested | — |
| 1999 | Gary D. Finch 60.1% (17,394) | Katie Lacey 38.0% (11,000) | 22.1pts |
| 1998 | Daniel J. Fessenden 96.5% (26,044) | Joseph S. Krulder 3.5% (952) | 93.0pts |
| 1996 | Daniel J. Fessenden 94.8% (28,985) | Leonard J. Smith, Jr. 5.2% (1,600) | 89.6pts |
Primary Elections
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 (Republican) | John Lemondes, Jr. 57.1% (3,494) | Daniel B. Fitzpatrick 42.9% (2,622) | 14.2pts |
| 1998 (Republican) | Daniel J. Fessenden 90.6% (3,653) | Joseph S. Krulder 9.4% (380) | 81.2pts |
Source: NYS Board of Elections certified results. ⚡ = margin under 10 pts. District history reflects 2022 redistricted boundaries.
Vulnerability Index AD-126
Base lean: R+11
Scenario model: ±5pt national environment shift applied to district base lean (R+11). 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 126 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.