Ian Phillips

Ian Phillips is the Working Families Party and Democratic candidate for New York State Assembly District 126 in the November 3, 2026 general election, challenging incumbent Republican John Lemondes Jr. He is a former teacher who has served on the Auburn school board.[1][2]

Phillips earned a high school diploma from Auburn High School, a bachelor's degree from Alfred University and a graduate degree from the University of Michigan.[1] In a Ballotpedia survey, he said he was born and raised in Auburn, taught middle school in Detroit through Teach for America, and returned to Central New York in 2012 to work for U.S. Representative Dan Maffei.[3] He said that since 2015 he has been an organizer with New York State United Teachers.[3]

Phillips has served on the Auburn Enlarged City School District board since 2021, according to Ballotpedia, and he said in the survey that he served two terms, three years of them as board president.[1][3] He ran for this Assembly seat in 2024 and lost the general election to Lemondes, 45.0 percent to 55.0 percent.[1]

Phillips listed affordability, protecting the Finger Lakes and Central New York environment, and anti-corruption measures including a 12-year term limit as his campaign's key messages.[3]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.