Brian A. Cunningham
Brian Cunningham | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 43rd district | |
| Assumed office March 30, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Diana Richardson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 16, 1984 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Signature | |
| Website | State Assembly website |
Brian-Christopher A. Cunningham (born December 16, 1984) is an American politician serving as a member of the New York State Assembly from the 43rd Assembly District, which includes parts of Flatbush, East Flatbush, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, and Crown Heights in Brooklyn, New York City. A Democrat, Cunningham was first elected to the Assembly in 2022 following a special election.
Early life and education
Born in New York City, Cunningham was raised in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn. The son of immigrants from Jamaica, Cunningham attended public schools.[1] Cunningham lives in Brooklyn with his wife Stephanie Cunningham, the executive director of Museum Hue. They have one son.
Career
Prior to his election to the Assembly, Cunningham worked in government, nonprofit, and educational sectors focused on youth development and community engagement. He served as a senior aide in city, state and federal government, where he concentrated on constituent services, housing, and education policy.[2]
Cunningham first sought election in 2017 for the 40th district of the New York City Council. He received second place in the Democratic primary to then-incumbent Mathieu Eugene. He then contested the general election after receiving the Reform Party's nomination, with the support of the Working Families Party.[3] He again placed second to the then-incumbent.
Cunningham was elected to the New York State Assembly in March 2022, succeeding Diana Richardson. Since taking office, he has championed policies focused on education equity, affordable housing, workforce development, and public safety reform.[4][5]
In 2022, Cunningham endorsed Yuh-Line Niou in the 2022 election in the 10th congressional district but later rescinded his endorsement following Niou's support for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS).[6]
In June 2023, Cunningham honored Ezras Nashim the first all-female volunteer EMT team, with the “2023 Women of Distinction Award.” [7]
In December 2024, Cunningham was selected to join the 2025-2026 Prenatal-to-Three Innovation Fellowship cohort, hosted by Future Caucus for young legislators invested in building bipartisan policy addressing key healthcare issues.[8][9]
References
- ^ "Brian Cunningham - Assembly District 43 |Assembly Member Directory | New York State Assembly". nyassembly.gov. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- ^ "Brian Cunningham - Assembly District 43 |Assembly Member Directory | New York State Assembly". nyassembly.gov. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ^ "Third-Party Council Candidate Gets Big Endorsement Over Flatbush Incumbent". DNAinfo. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "Brian Cunningham wins Assembly special election in Brooklyn". City & State NY. March 23, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- ^ "Brian A. Cunningham". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- ^ Kornbluh, Jacob (July 12, 2022). "NY lawmaker withdraws endorsement from congressional candidate who announced support for BDS". The Forward. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ^ "Judge Ruchie Freier and Ezras Nashim were honored with the '2023 Women of Distinction Award". Arutz Sheva. January 8, 2017.
- ^ Wyatt, Garrett (December 10, 2024). "64 Gen Z and Millennial Lawmakers Chosen for Bipartisan Future Caucus Fellowship". Future Caucus. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ "Healthcare". Future Caucus. Retrieved July 14, 2025.