Nicole Malliotakis Bio
Nicole Malliotakis (born November 11, 1980) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New York’s 11th congressional district, a seat that covers Staten Island and a portion of southern Brooklyn. A Republican, she has represented the district since 2021 and, as of 2025, is the only Republican member of Congress from New York City. Before her time in Washington, she served in the New York State Assembly for a decade and was the Republican nominee for mayor of New York City in 2017.
Born in Manhattan and raised on Staten Island, Malliotakis earned a Bachelor of Arts in communications from Seton Hall University and a Master of Business Administration from Wagner College. She has built a career rooted in community service, constituent advocacy, and public affairs work, and she has held leadership roles in both state and federal office. In the House, she has been appointed to senior committee posts and is recognized for her work on issues ranging from transportation to fiscal policy.
Early Life and Background
Nicole Malliotakis was born on November 11, 1980, in Manhattan, New York City. Her father is from Greece and her mother is from Cuba, having left the island in 1959 following the rise of Fidel Castro. Malliotakis was baptized into the Greek Orthodox Church and raised in the Greek Orthodox faith, and she is fluent in English and Spanish while also speaking some Greek.
When she was two years old, her family moved to Staten Island, and she grew up in the Great Kills neighborhood. She graduated from New Dorp High School in 1998, where she was elected class president during her senior year. The blending of her Greek and Cuban heritage shaped her bicultural identity and would later inform her political perspective and her appeal to a wide range of New York City voters.
After high school, Malliotakis attended Seton Hall University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in communications in 2001. She later returned to school and received a Master of Business Administration from Wagner College in 2010. Her education combined communication skills with business training, a foundation that supported her early work in government relations and public affairs.
Path to US Politics
Malliotakis began her career in public service as a community liaison for New York State Senator John Marchi from 2003 to 2004. She then served as a liaison for Governor George Pataki from 2004 to 2006. Before her run for the Assembly, she worked on state energy policy as a public affairs manager for the Consolidated Edison Company of New York.
Her entry into electoral politics came in 2010, when she won the election to represent the 60th District in the New York State Assembly. She defeated two-term Democratic incumbent Janele Hyer-Spencer by ten percentage points, becoming the first Greek-American woman, the first Cuban-American woman, and the first person of Hispanic descent elected from Staten Island to office in New York State.
In November 2015, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida named Malliotakis the New York chair of his 2016 presidential campaign, an early sign of her growing profile in the national Republican Party. She balanced her Assembly service with statewide organizing experience, laying the groundwork for higher office.
Nicole Malliotakis Career
Early Career (2011–2014)
Malliotakis represented the 60th Assembly district from 2011 to 2012 and then the 64th Assembly district from 2013 onward, after redistricting. She was reelected in 2012 with sixty-one percent of the vote and in 2014 with seventy-three percent of the vote, demonstrating growing strength in both Brooklyn and Staten Island.
As an Assembly member, she pursued issues related to elder rights, transportation costs, and small business relief. She fought to keep a senior center on Staten Island from being closed and held public forums on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Payroll Mobility Tax, helping build a record of policy work that extended beyond her district lines.
New York City Mayoral Run (2017)
On April 25, 2017, Malliotakis filed as the Republican candidate for mayor of New York City. She won the Republican nomination unopposed after businessman Paul Massey withdrew in June 2017 over financial concerns. Her candidacy attracted statewide attention as a Republican challenger in a heavily Democratic city.
On November 7, 2017, Malliotakis lost the general election to incumbent Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio, sixty-six percent to twenty-eight percent. Despite the lopsided result, the campaign raised her visibility, established her as a leading voice for New York City conservatives, and positioned her for a future run at the federal level.
U.S. House of Representatives (2021–Present)
In 2020, Malliotakis ran as the Republican nominee for New York’s 11th congressional district against incumbent Democrat Max Rose. She declared victory on election night and ultimately won with fifty-three percent of the vote to Rose’s forty-seven percent, flipping the seat back to the Republican column.
Upon taking office in January 2021, she was appointed as the Assistant Minority Whip for the Republican Conference. She received assignments on the House Committees on Foreign Affairs and Transportation and Infrastructure, as well as the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus. In January 2023, she was selected for the House Committee on Ways and Means, becoming the only House member from New York City on the committee and the first Republican from the city to serve on the panel in thirty years.
Malliotakis was reelected in 2022, defeating Max Rose in a rematch with sixty-two percent of the vote, and again in 2024, when she defeated Democratic challenger Andrea Morse with sixty-four percent of the vote. Her expanding margins of victory have solidified her hold on a district the Republican Party had held for all but one term since 1980.
Notable Events and Milestones
Malliotakis joined twelve other House Republicans in voting for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021, a one-point-two-trillion-dollar package that passed the House 228 to 206. In 2024, she was one of only a small number of House Republicans to vote for the Respect for Marriage Act, a stance that drew on her stated regret for earlier positions. On July 3, 2025, she voted in favor of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump the following day.
Nicole Malliotakis Career Wins
Throughout her career in elected office, Malliotakis has compiled a record of competitive victories in traditionally Democratic strongholds, beginning with her State Assembly wins and continuing through three consecutive congressional terms. Her electoral success has been built on a combination of Staten Island-based support and visible policy work.
U.S. House Highlights
Malliotakis first won her congressional seat in 2020 by defeating incumbent Democrat Max Rose, fifty-three percent to forty-seven percent. She then expanded her support in 2022, beating Rose again in a rematch with sixty-two percent of the vote. In 2024, she won a third term by defeating Democratic challenger Andrea Morse with sixty-four percent of the vote, showing continued growth in her margin of victory.
Other Wins & Achievements
In 2010, Malliotakis won her first Assembly race against Democratic incumbent Janele Hyer-Spencer by ten percentage points. She was reelected in 2012 with sixty-one percent of the vote and in 2014 with seventy-three percent of the vote, becoming one of only two Republicans from New York City serving in the State Assembly at the time.
Nicole Malliotakis Family
Family Background and Cultural Lineage
Malliotakis is the daughter of a Greek father and a Cuban mother who left Cuba in 1959 after the rise of Fidel Castro. Her family background gave her a strong bicultural identity, and she was raised in the Greek Orthodox faith. She became the first Greek-American woman and the first Cuban-American woman elected to office in New York State, a milestone that reflected her family’s deep immigrant roots.
Personal Life
Malliotakis lives in Staten Island, New York, and has continued to represent her home borough in federal office. She is multilingual, speaking English and Spanish fluently, and also speaks some Greek, a skill set that reflects her family heritage and helps her connect with a wide range of constituents in her district.