Michael Robert McNulty (born September 16, 1947) is a retired American politician from the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
. He served in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
from 1989 to 2009 representing New York's
Capital District
A capital district, capital region, or capital territory is normally a specially designated administrative division where a country's seat of government is located. As such, in a federal model of government, no state or territory has any politic ...
and was chairman of the House Subcommittee on Social Security in the 110th Congress.
Early life, education, and early political career
McNulty was born in
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...
La Salle Institute
La Salle Institute is an independent, private, Catholic college preparatory school run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in Troy, New York, United States serving boys and girls in grades six through twelve. It was establi ...
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
from 1967 to 1968. In 1969, McNulty graduated from the
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is a private Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by educators Benedict Joseph Fenwick and Thomas F. Mulledy in 1843 under the auspices of the Society of Jesus. ...
in
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...
.
McNulty is a member of the third generation of Catholic,
Irish-American
Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry.
Irish immigration to the United States
From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...
family long prominent in Capital District politics. His grandfather, Jack McNulty Sr., was chairman of the
Green Island, New York
Green Island is a coterminous town-village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are of ...
Democratic Party from 1919 to 1969 and Albany County Sheriff, and McNulty's father, Jack Jr., followed Jack Sr. as chairman. and also served as sheriff.
Michael McNulty worked as an insurance broker before entering politics. He was first elected to public office in November 1969 as Green Island's
town supervisor
The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the American state of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, towns, and villages. (The only boroughs, the f ...
; at 22, he was the youngest town supervisor in the state. In 1976, he ran for a seat in the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Ass ...
in the 106th Assembly District. He lost to Republican incumbent
Neil Kelleher
Cornelius "Neil" W. Kelleher (May 9, 1923 – September 4, 2008) was an American politician from New York.
Life
Kelleher was born on May 9, 1923, in Troy, New York, the son of Cornelius J. Kelleher and Helen Fleming Kelleher. He attended St. ...
55%-46%. A year later, he succeeded his father as chairman of the Green Island Democratic Party and was also elected as mayor of the village of Green Island, a post he held until 1982.
New York Assembly
After redistricting in 1982, Assemblyman Neil W. Kelleher, of the old 106th District, ran in the new 100th Assembly District, and McNulty ran in the new 106th. McNulty was a member of the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Ass ...
from 1983 to 1988, sitting in the 185th, 186th and
187th New York State Legislature
The 187th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7, 1987, to December 31, 1988, during the fifth and sixth years of Mario Cuomo's governorship, in Albany.
Backgr ...
New York's 23rd congressional district
New York's 23rd congressional district is located in Upstate New York, and covers part of Buffalo's Northtowns, all of the Southtowns, and much of the Southern Tier. The district includes the southern part of Keuka Lake and a small portion ...
announced his withdrawal from the race due to health issues. McNulty was selected to replace him on the ballot. He was elected handily in what was then one of the few reliably Democratic areas in Upstate New York. He was reelected nine more times without serious difficulty. The district was renumbered as the 21st District after the 1990 census.
In 2004, he was challenged by Republican/
Libertarian
Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...
Warren Redlich
Warren Redlich (born March 8, 1966) was born in Syosset, New York and as of 2022 is a content creator on X and YouTube covering technology, especially related to Tesla, Inc., SpaceX and related topics. He is a retired lawyer and former politic ...
, who ran for governor in 2010. McNulty faced Redlich again in 2006 and was reelected with 78% of the vote: his widest margin. He also had a primary challenge in 1996 by Lee H. Wasserman, in which he won by a closer margin than he ever had in the general election.
In October 2007, McNulty announced that he wouldn't seek an 11th term in Congress.
Paul Tonko
Paul David Tonko ( ; born June 18, 1949) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2013. He represented the 21st congressional district from 2009 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Tonko has been called a ...
, who had served alongside McNulty in the State Assembly from 1983 to 1989, won the Democratic nomination to replace McNulty, and subsequently won the general election in November. Despite being an open seat, this was not considered a competitive election, as the 21st is considered the most Democratic district in the state outside of the
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
-based districts and
Western New York
Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all so ...
. Both
Congressional Quarterly
''Congressional Quarterly'', or ''CQ'', is an American publication that is part of the privately owned publishing company CQ Roll Call, which covers the United States Congress. ''CQ'' was formerly acquired by the U.K.-based Economist Group and ...
and the
Cook Political Report
Amy Elizabeth Walter (born October 19, 1969)"Profile: Amy Walter"
rated the race for the 21st's open seat as "Safe Democratic."
Tonko won the Democratic primary on September 9, defeating four other candidates. In the November 4 general election, Tonko defeated Republican Schenectady County Legislator James Buhrmaster by a decisive margin.
Tenure
; Positions
McNulty is a moderate Democrat by New York standards. He voted for the War in Iraq, but since changed his stance and cosponsored Representative
John Murtha
John Patrick Murtha Jr. ( ; June 17, 1932 – February 8, 2010) was an Politics of the United States, American politician from the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Murtha, a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, re ...
's resolution for a phased withdrawal from the region.
; Controversies
McNulty presided over a vote to recommit an agricultural appropriations bill on the night of August 2, 2007 that would have prevented illegal immigrants from receiving food stamps. McNulty claimed the vote tied 214-214 with members changing their votes after time had expired, although he gaveled down a vote and tallied it 212-216 against the motion, while Republicans argued the House screen tally vote was 215-213 in favor to recommit. Republicans chanted "Shame" and later walked out of the House in protest. McNulty and House Majority Leader
Steny Hoyer
Steny Hamilton Hoyer ( ; born June 14, 1939) is an American politician and retired attorney who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for since 1981. He also served as House Majority Leader from 2007 to 20 ...
apologized on the floor the next morning for prematurely gaveling down the vote. In May 2008, a bipartisan investigation panel including
Bill Delahunt
William David Delahunt (; July 18, 1941March 30, 2024) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives representing from 1997 to 2011. Delahunt did not ...
and
Mike Pence
Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...
began working to determine whether the vote had been tallied correctly and what action should be taken, if any. A year later, the panel found that the Democrats did indeed improperly tally the vote.
; Rankings/endorsements
He was consistently endorsed by both the Conservative Party and the
Working Families Party
The Working Families Party (WFP) is a progressive minor political party in the United States, founded in New York in 1998. There are active chapters in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois ...
, third parties in New York.
McNulty received an "A" on the
Drum Major Institute
The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy (DMI) is a non-profit American progressive think tank and community action group. The group was founded in 1961 in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. It later became defunct until it was relaunch ...