Thomas P. DiNapoli

DiNapoli describes himself as a lifelong Long Islander raised in a middle-class, union household; Wikipedia says he was born in 1954 in Rockville Centre and raised in Albertson.[4][8] He earned a bachelor's degree in history from Hofstra University (magna cum laude, 1976), and worked in the telecommunications industry for about ten years while taking night classes toward a master's degree from The New School University's Graduate School of Management and Urban Professions.[4][3] He was elected at 17 in 1972 as a trustee of the Mineola Union Free School District Board of Education and took office at 18, reportedly the youngest person to hold public office in New York at the time; he served until 1982.[4][3]

DiNapoli was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1986 and represented the 16th District in northwestern Nassau County for 20 years, until 2007. According to Wikipedia, he chaired the Environmental Conservation, Local Governments and Governmental Operations committees.[4][3][8] A bipartisan majority of the State Legislature elected him State Comptroller on February 7, 2007, to fill the vacancy created when Alan Hevesi resigned in December 2006 and pleaded guilty to a fraud charge.[4][8] Voters elected him Comptroller in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022; Wikipedia notes he received more votes than any other statewide candidate in 2014 and 2018.[4][8]

As Comptroller, DiNapoli oversees the New York State Common Retirement Fund. His official biography describes his work on fighting fraud, saying it has resulted in hundreds of arrests and tens of millions of dollars in restitution, and on steps to protect the pension fund from climate-related investment risk.[4] He received the Democratic nomination for a fifth full term in February 2026 and won the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary with 65.7% of the vote over Drew Warshaw and Raj Goyle.[8][3] In the 2026 race he campaigned on the growth and financial health of the retirement fund, which reached a record $309 billion. A spokesperson for his office said the final 2026 state budget "included provisions that significantly reduce competition, independent oversight and transparency"; New York Focus reported that the budget raised the threshold for comptroller review of some contracts from $50,000 to $150,000.[1][2][9] DiNapoli won the November 3, 2026 general election with 64.4% of the vote to Joseph Hernandez's 35.5%, according to unofficial results reported by Wikipedia and Ballotpedia.[5][6]