Nicole Malliotakis

Malliotakis was born on November 11, 1980, in New York City.[4][5] She grew up in Great Kills, Staten Island,[6] the daughter of immigrant parents; her father is from Greece and her mother from Cuba. She was raised in the Greek Orthodox faith.[7]

Malliotakis attended New Dorp High School on Staten Island, and during her senior year was elected class president by her peers.[8] She received a B.A. in communications from Seton Hall University and a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) from Wagner College.[9]

Malliotakis worked as a community liaison for former State Senator John Marchi in 2003–04 and former Governor George Pataki in 2004–06. Before her election, she also worked on state energy policy as the Consolidated Edison Company of New York's public affairs manager.[9]

In November 2015, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida named Malliotakis the New York State chair of his 2016 presidential campaign.[10]

In 2010, Malliotakis won the election to represent the 60th District in the New York State Assembly, defeating two-term Democratic incumbent Janele Hyer-Spencer by 10 percentage points.[11] Upon her election to the Assembly, she became the first Greek-American woman elected to office in New York State, the first Cuban-American woman elected to office in New York State,[12] and the first person of Hispanic descent elected from Staten Island.[9] As of January 2018, she was one of only two Republicans from the City of New York serving in the Assembly, along with Michael Reilly. Malliotakis is Brooklyn's only Republican lawmaker.[13]

In October 2011, Malliotakis submitted an amicus curiae brief in support of an American Automobile Association lawsuit against the Port Authority in federal court, arguing that recent toll increases were illegal.[14] She successfully brought an Article 78 proceeding in New York State Supreme Court to get the Port Authority to disclose the results of an economic impact study on the effect the toll increases had had on business at New York Container Terminal.[15]

Malliotakis in 2012

Malliotakis was reelected in 2012 with 61% of the vote and in 2014 with 73% of the vote in both Brooklyn and Staten Island. After U.S. Representative Michael Grimm 's resignation in 2014, she was mentioned as a top contender for his seat, but decided against a run.[16]

In 2015, Malliotakis voted against a bill that would have required certain parents to ensure the immunization of their children against meningococcal disease.[17] She made elder rights a hallmark of her tenure and successfully fought to keep a senior center in Staten Island from being closed.[18]

Malliotakis held a series of forums on the MTA Payroll Mobility Tax and its alleged negative impact on small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and private schools.[19] The New York state legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo subsequently enacted significant repeals.[20] Malliotakis fought for relief from the September 2011 toll increase on Port Authority bridges,[21] calling for divestment of costly non-essential real estate holdings and highlighting mismanaged contributions to community organizations.[22]

During her first year in the Assembly, Malliotakis was named a "rising star" by Capitol News, Home Reporter News,[23] the Hispanic Coalition of New York,[24] and the Greek America Foundation.[25] The Business Council of New York State named her a "top-ranking pro-jobs supporter".[26]

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Malliotakis voted for Trump in the 2016 presidential election and opposes sanctuary city status for undocumented immigrants in New York City.[43] She opposed giving drivers' licenses to undocumented immigrants.[13] During her run for mayor, she said, "I am not against abortion."[44] She does not support repealing Roe v. Wade, but has voted against taxpayer-funded abortions and against New York state's late-term abortion bill. During her run for mayor, she did not identify as pro-life or pro-choice, saying, "it's not black or white. I think there's a lot of things that go into a decision of that magnitude."[45] But in her Congressional campaign, she identified as pro-life, even as she reiterated that she does not "hold black-and-white views" on abortion.[46] After originally opposing same-sex marriage, Malliotakis said she regretted that position and voted to support adoptions by same-sex parents and to protect estate rights for married same-sex couples.[45] She voted against a bill relating to bathroom rights for transgender people.[47]

Malliotakis opposed raising fees on plastic bags in New York and supports reducing bridge tolls.[43] She proposed a plan to cut property taxes for seniors and to limit increases on property taxes.[48] When running for mayor, she argued that these reforms in property taxes would mean the wealthy would pay a fair share while poorer residents would get tax relief.[49]

Upon her election to Congress, Malliotakis indicated an intent to join other freshman Republicans in forming a counterweight to oppose the so-called "Squad" of progressive Democrats led by fellow New York City congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. "We have a group of new Republicans who love America. We value freedom, liberty and opportunity", Malliotakis said, referencing several other newly elected members of Congress whose families escaped from Communist regimes, such as Carlos Giménez and Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida and Victoria Spartz of Indiana. "Freedom for a strong economy. Less government. That’s why our families fled oppressive regimes. Our families fled from oppressive countries with the very same policies that AOC and the Squad are promoting."[50] The coalition is known as the Freedom Force.[51][52][53][54]

On January 6, 2021, Malliotakis objected to counting Arizona's and Pennsylvania's electoral votes in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, based on disproven allegations of voter fraud and unconstitutional procedures.[55] On January 9, more than 300 protesters, including seven New York City and New York State elected officials, gathered outside her Brooklyn office to call for her to either vote to impeach Trump or resign, noting that her vote to object to the 2020 election results was premised on spurious voter-fraud theories that had motivated a violent, armed attack on the U.S. Capitol.[56] On January 13, she voted against Trump's second impeachment over his role in inciting the 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol.[57]

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Malliotakis is single and resides in Staten Island. She is a Greek Orthodox Christian.

• List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress
• Women in the United States House of Representatives

• Representative Nicole Malliotakis, official U.S. House website
• York State Assembly site
• Campaign site

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Appearances on C-SPAN