Michael Gianaris

Michael Gianaris (born April 23, 1970)[1] is an American politician and attorney from Queens, New York. He represented District 36 in the New York State Assembly from 2001 to 2010, and he has represented District 12 in the New York State Senate since 2011. A Democrat, Gianaris was appointed as Deputy Majority Leader of the New York State Senate in 2019.

Michael Gianaris
Deputy Majority Leader of the New York State Senate
Assumed office
January 9, 2019
LeaderAndrea Stewart-Cousins
Preceded byJohn DeFrancisco
Member of the New York State Senate
from the 12th district
Assumed office
January 1, 2011
Preceded byGeorge Onorato
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 36th district
In office
January 1, 2001 – December 31, 2010
Preceded byDenis Butler
Succeeded byAravella Simotas
Personal details
Born (1970-04-23) April 23, 1970
Queens, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Queens, New York, U.S.
EducationFordham University (BA)
Harvard University (JD)
WebsiteCampaign website
Official website

Early life and education

Gianaris was born in Astoria and is the son of Greek immigrants[2] Nicholas and Magdalene Gianaris. He graduated from New York City (NYC) public schools P.S. 84, Junior High School 141 and Long Island City High School. He received a B.A. summa cum laude in economics and political science from Fordham University and earned a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School.[3]

Career

Gianaris has served as Associate Counsel to the Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection, Governmental Operations, Veterans Affairs, and Agriculture and Markets of the Assembly, and also served as an aide to former Queens Congressman Thomas Manton, an aide to former Governor Mario Cuomo's Queens County Regional Representative, and as a member of Queens Community Planning Board 1 and Legal Counsel to the United Community Civic Association.

New York State Assembly

In 2000, Gianaris was elected to the New York State Assembly[4] in District 36.[5] He is a Democrat.[6]

In September 2007, he was named one of City Hall's "40 under 40".[7]

New York State Senate

In 2010, Senator George Onorato decided not to seek re-election,[8] and Gianaris was nominated to replace him.[9] Gianaris easily prevailed in the District 12 election.[10]

In 2019, following Senate Democrats' ascent to the majority, Gianaris was named Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate.[11]

Gianaris has supported bail reform and the elimination of cash bail.[12] In 2018, he introduced legislation to automatically register eligible voters otherwise interacting with state government.[13]

According to The Guardian, Gianaris was principally responsible for scuttling a proposal to locate Amazon's HQ2 in New York City.[14] Gianaris has been noted for his support for antitrust enforcement, having introduced the "21st Century Antitrust Act" in the New York State Legislature and written in support of the federal American Innovation and Choice Online Act proposal.[15]

Other campaigns

Gianaris ran for Attorney General of New York in 2018, but ended his campaign in May 2018 and endorsed fellow Democrat Letitia James.[16]

Personal life

Gianaris is married and resides in Astoria.[1]

References
  1. "Legislative Preview: Meet The New Members". The Capitol. Manhattan Media. January 6, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  2. "Senate Deputy Leader Gianaris And New York's Greek-American Legislators Introduce Resolution Marking 200th Anniversary Of Greek Independence". NY State Senate. March 23, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  3. "Michael Gianaris: Biography". New York State Senate. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  4. Small, Eddie. "Amazon Adversary Mike Gianaris Talks About Real Estate Confrontations". The Real Deal.
  5. Lippincott, E. E. (September 14, 2000). "Gianaris Takes Dem. Bid For 36th Assembly in Primaries". Queens Chronicle.
  6. Daley, Elizabeth (December 23, 2010). "Gianaris to strategize for state Senate Dems". Queens Chronicle.
  7. Rising Stars 40 Under 40: Michael Gianaris Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, City & State, September 17, 2007.
  8. Belden, Willow (January 14, 2010). "Onorato drops out, Gianaris gears up". Queens Chronicle.
  9. "Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 12 Race - Nov 02, 2010". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  10. "New York State Legislature - Election Results 2010 -". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  11. "State Sen. Michael Gianaris has big plans for 2019". City & State NY. January 9, 2019.
  12. "Momentum Builds For Ending Cash Bail System That Punishes The Poor". Gothamist. August 10, 2017.
  13. Wilson, Reid (November 20, 2018). "New York's election laws come under attack by Dems". The Hill. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  14. "'Amazon isn't bigger than New York': meet the man who killed the deal". the Guardian. February 15, 2019.
  15. "Gianaris Urges Feds to Take Action on Competition Reform". The National Herald. June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  16. Bragg, Chris (May 17, 2018). "Gianaris drops out of Attorney General race, back James". Capitol Confidential.
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