Who's running in New York's 26th congressional district
2 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
2 candidates · ballot order · Tim Kennedy currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Reversing Medicaid cuts.
Legislation to increase student loan access.
Economic development in Erie and Niagara counties.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative for the 26th District since April 2024, when he won a special election.
New York state senator for over a decade before Congress, chairing the transportation committee.
Also carries the Working Families Party line on the November ballot.
Advanced from the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary.
Arguments in favor
He turns up for the job: he missed 1 of 985 roll call votes between May 2024 and July 2026, better than the median for sitting members.
— GovTrack voting record
He has made election access a priority for the district, publicly warning against threats to election integrity and defending western New Yorkers' right to vote.
— Office of Rep. Timothy Kennedy
Arguments against
His state campaign committee spent nearly $1.5 million in 2023, a year he was not up for re-election — more than his two previous re-election campaigns combined — raising the question of whether state money was quietly advancing his federal campaign, which would be a problem under federal election law.
— Investigative Post
He was the single most heavily lobbied member of the State Senate: 215 lobbyists representing 387 clients across 855 filings, according to the state's Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government.
— Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government, reported by The Buffalo News
What we couldn’t verify
No enforcement action over the 2023 campaign spending was reported in material available, and Kennedy's response to the Investigative Post reporting was not established from the sources found.
His committee assignments were not established from the sources found.
No criticism of him by name from Dennis Hannon's campaign or from the National Republican Congressional Committee was found.
Safer communities: grants for local and federal law enforcement cooperation, immigration enforcement prioritising serious public safety threats, disrupting fentanyl trafficking and stronger workplace hiring compliance.
Lower costs: tax rebates for working-class families, action on prescription and health care costs for seniors, and fewer restrictions on energy production.
Protecting children: stronger online privacy safeguards, limits on commercial AI involving minors, abstinence-focused sex education, and restrictions on medical interventions for minors.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Grew up working in his father's construction business.
Also carries the Conservative Party line on the November ballot.
Won the June 23, 2026 Republican primary.
Has not held elected office.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No published criticism of Hannon by name could be found: not from Tim Kennedy or his campaign, not from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and not from Buffalo news coverage. Because no case against him exists on the record, none is presented for him either, rather than showing his own campaign's case unanswered.
He has held no elected office; he runs on safer communities, lowering everyday costs and child safety online, and grew up working in his father's construction business.
His fundraising totals were not reported in material available.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
New York held its primary on June 23, 2026. Democratic incumbent Tim Kennedy, who also carries the Working Families line, faces Republican Dennis Hannon, who also carries the Conservative Party line, in this Buffalo and Niagara Falls district. New York allows fusion voting. The 2026 elections use the congressional map enacted on February 28, 2024. Roster from the New York qualifying lists as reported by Politics1 and Wikipedia. Neither candidate is listed with arguments for or against here: no published criticism of either candidate by name from someone opposing them could be found, and setting out a case against one and not the other would tilt the page.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A New York ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at New York State Board of Elections.