Campaigns

Nicole Malliotakis: Campaigns and Elections

Last updated · August 17, 2026

Nicole Malliotakis's electoral career runs from an Assembly upset through a high-profile mayoral defeat to flipping a competitive congressional seat and holding it with growing margins. This section walks through each campaign in order, with results and context, citing primary or strong secondary sources.

A note up front: Malliotakis has won most of the races she has contested, with her 2017 mayoral campaign the notable exception, and her congressional margins have grown across her re-elections. Her races in New York City's most competitive district are central to her career.

2010: The Assembly upset

Malliotakis's electoral career began in 2010, when she defeated a two-term Democratic incumbent for a New York State Assembly seat by a notable margin, becoming one of a small number of Republicans in the chamber ^1,2. The upset launched her career in elected office. She would hold the seat through the decade.

2012 to 2018: Assembly re-elections

Malliotakis was re-elected to the Assembly repeatedly over this period, often running with multiple party lines and at times unopposed, in her Staten Island and Brooklyn district ². Her electoral security in the Assembly allowed her to build a record and a profile that supported her later, higher-profile campaigns. She remained a fixture of outer-borough Republican politics.

2017: The mayoral campaign

In 2017, Malliotakis ran as the Republican nominee for mayor of New York City, securing the nomination unopposed after another candidate withdrew ³. She lost decisively to incumbent Democrat Bill de Blasio citywide, roughly 66 percent to 28 percent, but won about 67 percent in the Staten Island and Brooklyn area that would become her congressional district, demonstrating strength there even in a losing citywide effort ^3,4. The race raised her profile and previewed her congressional run.

2020: Flipping NY-11

In 2020, Malliotakis ran for the U.S. House in New York's 11th District and defeated incumbent Democrat Max Rose, flipping the seat to Republican control ^3,2. The win, in the only New York City district carried by Donald Trump in 2016, made her the city's lone Republican in Congress and capped her rise from the Assembly ⁴. She took office in January 2021.

2022: The Rose rematch

Malliotakis won re-election in 2022 in a rematch against Max Rose, defeating him by a wider margin than in 2020, roughly 62 percent to 38 percent ⁵. The decisive win in the closely watched race solidified her hold on the competitive seat. It demonstrated her growing electoral strength in the district.

2024: A third term

Malliotakis won a third term in 2024, defeating Democratic challenger Andrea Morse by a substantial margin, roughly 64 percent to 36 percent ⁶. The result extended her tenure and reflected the district's Republican lean during that cycle, with the area continuing to favor Republicans at the top of the ticket ⁶. Her electoral position in the district was by now well established.

Fundraising and electoral profile

As the representative of a competitive but Republican-leaning district and New York City's only Republican in Congress, Malliotakis has run well-funded, high-profile campaigns, particularly her closely watched races against Max Rose ⁵. Her growing margins suggest a consolidation of Republican strength in the district during her tenure, though it remains more competitive than safe Republican seats.

Electoral pattern and analysis

Malliotakis's electoral record is one of consistent success punctuated by a single high-profile defeat. She won an Assembly upset, held that seat comfortably, lost a citywide mayoral race while demonstrating strength in her home base, and then flipped and held a competitive congressional seat with growing margins. Her trajectory reflects a politician who built a durable base in Staten Island and southern Brooklyn and consolidated Republican support there over time.

The pattern is that of a candidate who is formidable in her outer-borough district even as she fell short citywide in 2017. Her growing congressional margins, against a strong 2020 and 2022 opponent in Max Rose and a less prominent 2024 challenger, suggest that the district has trended in her favor during her tenure, cementing her position as New York City's most secure Republican in federal office, even in a seat that remains more competitive than most.