Jonathan Makeley

Prohibition Party

Declared write-in candidate; New York's ballot-access laws make it very difficult for minor parties to get a printed line, so Makeley is running his campaign as a write-in.

Jonathan Makeley is a Western New York historian and chair of the Prohibition Party of New York, running a declared write-in campaign for governor — the party's first gubernatorial candidate in New York since 1926. His campaign centers on treating alcohol, tobacco and other drugs as public-health issues, reforming state ballot-access laws, and increasing state support for public education.[28][29]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

In their words — priorities

  • Treating alcohol, tobacco and other drug use as public-health problems, with expanded funding for prevention, treatment and cessation programs.[29]
  • Reforming state ballot-access laws he says were made more restrictive under Gov. Andrew Cuomo, strengthening the independence of the state redistricting commission, and banning partisan gerrymandering.[29]
  • Increasing state aid to schools and expanding the state's Tuition Assistance Program toward tuition-free college or vocational education.[29]

Background

  • Holds a B.A. in history from Alfred University and master's degrees in history and library/information science from the University at Buffalo; works as a historian focused on American reform movements.[28][29]
  • Serves as chair of the Prohibition Party of New York and as the national party's Secretary.[28][29]

Also on the ballot for this seat: Kathy Hochul, Bruce Blakeman, Jean Anglade · Compare side by side

Sources cited in this profile

  1. 28.Prohibition Party of New York Chair Jonathan Makeley Announces Write-In Campaign for Governor · Independent Political Report · 2026-06-01 News report
  2. 29.Jonathan Makeley's Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey responses · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2026-09-25 Candidate's own words