Voters in Staten Island and southern Brooklyn returned Greek-American Rep. Nicole Malliotakis to Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 3, giving the Republican a fourth consecutive House term after she defeated Democrat Mike DeCillis in New York’s 11th Congressional District.
New York’s unofficial election returns showed her with 101,719 votes across the Republican and Conservative ballot lines, compared with 79,370 for DeCillis. All 377 election districts had reported, although the totals remained unofficial and subject to certification.
Malliotakis was among the Greek-American candidates competing in the 2026 midterms. Her victory extends a congressional career that began when she unseated Democratic Rep. Max Rose in 2020.
Malliotakis wins after battle over district boundaries
The race followed a court fight over the boundaries of the Staten Island-based district. In March, the U.S. Supreme Court paused a state court order requiring the district to be redrawn, preserving the existing map for the election. The district combines all of Staten Island with part of southern Brooklyn. Malliotakis had previously defeated Rose again in 2022 and won reelection against Democrat Andrea Morse in 2024.
DeCillis, a former police officer and teacher, challenged her with a platform emphasizing household affordability, public education and congressional checks on presidential power. His campaign called for greater investment in schools and reducing the tax burden on working people.
Malliotakis has emphasized lower taxes, border enforcement, public safety and energy policy. In the current Congress, she serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, which handles taxation and major federal benefit programs, and on the Joint Economic Committee.
A Greek father, a Cuban mother and a New York political career
Malliotakis, 45, is the daughter of a Greek immigrant father and a Cuban mother who fled the Castro regime. She has frequently cited her parents’ experiences in explaining her political outlook.
Before entering Congress, she served five terms in the New York State Assembly, from 2011 through 2020. She also ran unsuccessfully for mayor of New York City in 2017. Her congressional work includes serving as a vice chair of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus, a bipartisan group focused on relations with Greece and issues affecting the Greek-American community.
Work on Greece, Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean
Malliotakis has joined lawmakers from both parties on legislation concerning Greece. In March, she was an original co-sponsor of a resolution marking the 205th anniversary of the War of Greek Independence. She also helped introduce legislation to extend military education and training assistance to Greece for five years. The House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced the U.S.-Greece defense cooperation bill in May.
On Turkey, she has taken a more critical position. In a July interview, Malliotakis opposed a proposed sale of F-35 fighter jets to Ankara, citing concerns involving Greece, Cyprus and regional security.
