Greek-American Republican Nicole Malliotakis has won re-election to the US House of Representatives in New York’s 11th district in Tuesday’s midterm elections, remaining the only Republican representing New York City in Congress.
Malliotakis, 45, who is of Greek and Cuban descent, beat Democrat Mike DeCillis to hold the seat, which covers Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn. A supporter of Donald Trump with direct access to the White House, she has nonetheless strongly opposed any sale of advanced US fighter jets to Turkey, and is among US lawmakers who have repeatedly taken initiatives on Greece and Cyprus.
With 93 per cent of votes counted, she had 56.1 per cent and more than 100,000 votes, against 43.7 per cent and 78,000 votes for DeCillis, a former New York police officer and rescue worker who took part in operations after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. CNN projected her win before all the votes had been counted.
Staten Island and southern Brooklyn lean more Republican than the rest of traditionally Democratic New York. Malliotakis has said her district has more registered Democrats than Republicans, but that many voters back Republicans on the economy, tax and public safety. She won about 64 per cent of the vote in 2024 and about 62 per cent in 2022.
Her 2026 campaign focused on the cost of living, tax, immigration and crime, while DeCillis criticised her relationship with Trump and the effects of Republican economic policy. Hours before the results, she said she had delivered for Staten Island and Brooklyn and expected voters to recognise her work.
During the campaign she argued that Republicans needed to keep control of both the House and the Senate so the administration’s policies could continue, and accused the Democrats’ left wing of moving the party towards socialism. She describes herself as centre-right, arguing that most Americans sit in the political centre rather than at either extreme.
Turkey and the F-35
In an interview with Kathimerini on 15 September, Malliotakis expressed serious reservations about Ankara possibly returning to the US F-35 fighter jet programme. She said Turkey was a NATO ally on paper, but “under Erdogan it often acts as an adversary of other NATO members”, and of countries in the region.
She cited Turkey’s ties with Russia and Iran, its stance towards Israel and allegations that it hosts senior Hamas figures. She also denounced Turkey’s occupation of Cyprus and Turkish military overflights of Greek islands, saying such actions were aimed at another NATO ally. In her view, Ankara’s conduct did not justify giving it the most advanced US weapons systems.
She acknowledged, however, that the Trump administration might be able to go ahead with an F-35 deal without the consent of Congress, saying lawmakers could apply political pressure but there was no certainty they would block it.
Her opposition dates back to her early years in Congress. In October 2021 she led a cross-party letter urging the Biden administration to reject Turkey’s request to buy 40 new F-16s and 80 modernisation kits, citing Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 air defence systems and its earlier removal from the F-35 programme.
In September 2025, ahead of a meeting between Trump and Erdogan, she joined Chris Pappas, Gus Bilirakis and Dina Titus in warning the Trump administration that selling F-35s to Turkey before it complied with US law would set a problematic precedent. In June 2026 she co-signed a further appeal with fellow Republicans Bilirakis, Mike Haridopolos and Jimmy Patronis against the planned sale of US F110 engines to Turkey, citing Turkish claims in the eastern Mediterranean, the occupation of Cyprus and Erdogan’s stance towards Israel.
Malliotakis and Pappas, a Democrat from New Hampshire who also stood in the midterms, belong to rival parties and disagree on major domestic issues, but have worked together in Congress on Greek-US relations and pressure on Turkey.
Greece and Cyprus
Malliotakis met Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Washington on 10 July 2024, on the sidelines of the NATO summit, along with other Greek-American lawmakers including Pappas, Titus, Bilirakis and John Sarbanes.
She called the talks productive and welcomed the improvement in Greek-Turkish relations at the time, pointing to cooperation on migration and to what she had been told was an 18-month absence of Turkish violations of Greek airspace. She credited both the Greek government’s policy and pressure on Turkey from members of Congress.
The meeting also covered the upgrading of Greece’s armed forces, its acquisition of F-35s and frigates, developments in North Macedonia and Lebanon, efforts to solve the Cyprus problem and the reopening of the Halki Seminary, closed since 1971. Malliotakis noted that her father and Mitsotakis both have roots in Crete, and praised what she saw as Greece’s progress on the economy, defence and energy independence.
In September 2026 she said Athens played a crucial role in Mediterranean security, was a gateway to Europe and could become a significant energy player. She described US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as one of the strongest supporters of cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and the United States, saying he understood both the strategic value of the two countries and the risks posed by Turkish policy. In October she welcomed Rubio’s visit to Athens for the sixth US-Greece Strategic Dialogue and called for closer security cooperation between the two countries.
She has said the Greek-American community still carries significant influence in Washington but needs greater unity and cooperation with communities that share its concerns, particularly Jewish and Armenian organisations, to strengthen efforts to stop an F-35 sale to Turkey.
Background
Malliotakis was born in Manhattan on 11 November 1980 and grew up on Staten Island. Her father, Giorgos, is from Crete, and her mother, Vera, fled Fidel Castro’s Cuba. Her family’s history shaped her politics, particularly her opposition to socialism and communism.
In a September 2026 interview, she said her father arrived in the United States with just 50 dollars, no relatives or friends and no English, but worked hard, started a small business and bought his own home. She described his story as an example of the American dream, and said her family’s work ethic and the Greek tradition of democracy had shaped how she sees politics.
She was raised an Orthodox Christian, keeps close ties with New York’s Greek and Cuban communities, and speaks English, Spanish and Greek.
She graduated from New Dorp High School in 1998, earned a degree in communications and public relations from Seton Hall University in New Jersey in 2001, and completed an MBA at Wagner College in 2010.
She began her career as a communications adviser to state senator John Marchi, then worked in the office of Republican New York governor George Pataki and later as a public relations executive at power company Consolidated Edison.
Elected to the New York State Assembly in 2010, she served five consecutive terms until 2020, focusing on tax, transport, public administration and transparency. She strongly criticised former Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver, who was convicted of corruption, and pushed for committee meetings and votes to be made public. She also worked on recovery from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, particularly in Staten Island’s coastal areas.
In 2017 she ran for mayor of New York as the Republican candidate against incumbent Bill de Blasio. She lost with about 28 per cent to his 66 per cent but won about 70 per cent on Staten Island, and the race raised her profile considerably.
In 2020 she unseated Democratic incumbent Max Rose in the 11th district by 53.2 per cent to 46.8 per cent, entering the House in January 2021.
In Congress
Malliotakis has served as a deputy whip for House Republicans and sits on the Ways and Means Committee, which handles tax and major economic policy, as well as its tax and oversight subcommittees and Congress’s Joint Economic Committee.
Her work has centred on tax cuts, policing, border security and irregular migration. In 2025 she backed the Republican tax package, highlighting the higher cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, which she said allowed 98 per cent of households in her district to deduct those taxes in full. She also supported tax relief for older people, workers who receive tips or overtime pay, and families with children.
She has helped secure federal funding for transport, bridge upgrades and coastal flood protection, including the long-delayed East Shore protection project on Staten Island. She has also backed federal investment in bridge repairs on the Staten Island and Gowanus expressways, work at the Arthur Kill port and the rail link between New York and New Jersey, as well as upgrades to Staten Island’s ferry service and roads.
Since Hurricane Sandy, she has pushed for recovery in the worst-hit areas and stronger protection against future extreme weather. Other initiatives have covered support for police and security services, animal cruelty, the protection of older people, and access to health benefits and compensation for victims and rescue workers of the 11 September attacks.
In October she announced about 687,000 dollars in new federal funding for an education and environmental programme at Freshkills Park. She had earlier secured one million dollars to upgrade security systems at the Berry Houses public housing complex.
(information from protothema.gr)
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