Nicole Malliotakis

She moved to Staten Island when she was two years old and grew up in Great Kills, the daughter of immigrant parents; her father is from Greece and her mother from Cuba, having left in 1959 following the rise of Fidel Castro.

She was raised in the Greek Orthodox faith.

Malliotakis attended New Dorp High School on Staten Island, and during her senior year was elected class president.

She received a B.A. in communications from Seton Hall University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Wagner College.

Nicole Malliotakis (born November 11, 1980) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New York's 11th congressional district since 2021.

Her constituency covers Staten Island and southern Brooklyn.

Malliotakis is the only Republican representing any part of New York City in Congress, and is one of five female Republican elected officials in New York City, with the other four serving on the New York City Council.

Malliotakis was born on November 11, 1980, in the Manhattan borough of New York City.

The GOP had held the seat for all but one term since 1980 before Rose won the seat in an upset in the 2018 midterm elections.

The two engaged in a contentious race, with many attack ads on both sides.

The 11th has long been the most conservative district of the 12 that divide New York City; it is the only one with a Cook Partisan Voting Index less than D+20, and since the 1990s it has been the only New York City-based district where Republicans usually do well.

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.

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.

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, and the first person of Hispanic descent elected from Staten Island.

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.

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.

Malliotakis fought for relief from the September 2011 toll increase on Port Authority bridges, calling for divestment of costly non-essential real estate holdings and highlighting mismanaged contributions to community organizations.

During her first year in the Assembly, Malliotakis was named a "rising star" by Capitol News, Home Reporter News, the Hispanic Coalition of New York, and the Greek America Foundation.

The Business Council of New York State named her a "top-ranking pro-jobs supporter".

She embraced Trump's backing, saying, "I am honored by President Trump's endorsement and his words of support...I plan to defeat Max Rose and return New York's 11th Congressional District to commonsense leadership."

Malliotakis declared victory upon taking a commanding lead in election day returns on November 3.

Rose did not immediately concede, citing absentee votes yet to be counted.

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.

She made elder rights a hallmark of her tenure and successfully fought to keep a senior center in Staten Island from being closed.

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.

The New York state legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo subsequently enacted significant repeals.

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

She was the Republican nominee for mayor of New York City in the 2017 election, which she lost to incumbent Democrat Bill de Blasio.

On April 25, 2017, Malliotakis filed as a Republican candidate for mayor of New York City in the 2017 election.

She won the Republican nomination unopposed after businessman Paul Massey dropped out in June over money concerns.

On November 7, 2017, Malliotakis lost the election to incumbent Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio, 66–28%.

She received 70% of the vote in Staten Island.

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 was Brooklyn's only Republican lawmaker.

In 2020, she defeated incumbent Representative Max Rose.

In 2020, Malliotakis ran as the Republican nominee for New York's 11th congressional district against incumbent Democrat Max Rose.

Her state assembly district included much of the eastern portion of the congressional district.

The race was considered the only potentially competitive House race in New York City.

Malliotakis endorsed incumbent Republican President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election; in turn, Trump announced, "Nicole has my Complete & Total Endorsement!"