Paul Tonko
Paul Tonko, a Democrat who has represented New York's 20th congressional district since 2013 after first entering Congress in 2009, seeks re-election in 2026 against Republican attorney Ralph Ambrosio.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
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- Born
- June 18, 1949
- Birthplace
- Amsterdam, New York
- Education
- Wilbur H. Lynch High School (1967)
Clarkson University (Bachelor of Science in mechanical and industrial engineering, 1971)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Paul Tonko is a lifelong resident of Amsterdam, New York, near Schenectady, and is of primarily Polish descent. He graduated from Amsterdam's Wilbur H. Lynch High School in 1967 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical and industrial engineering from Clarkson University in Potsdam in 1971. He went on to work as an engineer for the New York Public Service Commission.
Career
Tonko entered local politics on the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, serving from 1976 to 1983 and chairing the board from 1981 to 1983.
After winning an April 1983 special election for the 105th district of the New York State Assembly, he was re-elected 13 times and chaired the Assembly's Energy Committee from 1992 to 2007.
He sponsored Timothy's Law, a 2006 measure requiring health insurers to cover mental health treatment, and left the Assembly in 2007 to serve as president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority until April 2008.
When ten-term Democratic congressman Michael McNulty announced his retirement, Tonko won the 2008 Democratic primary and general election for the 21st district.
Redistricting renumbered his seat as the 20th district, and he defeated Bob Dieterich there in 2012 and has won each later election, most recently against Kevin Waltz in 2024.
On the House Committee on Energy and Commerce he is ranking member of the Subcommittee on Environment in the 119th Congress, and he also serves on the Committee on the Budget.
2026 race
Paul Tonko is the Democratic nominee for re-election in New York's 20th congressional district, a Capital Region seat that includes Albany, Troy, Schenectady, Saratoga Springs, and Amsterdam. He was re-elected with 61.1% of the vote in 2024 and also appears on the Working Families Party line in 2026. His Republican opponent is Ralph Ambrosio, an attorney who also holds the Conservative Party line. The general election takes place on November 3, 2026.