Republican Assemblyman Michael Durso is seeking re-election to a two-year term in the 9th District, and he appears to be a rare candidate who can already celebrate. His Democratic opponent, Christopher Walis, suspended his campaign on Aug. 12.
The 9th District stretches along the South Shore from Massapequa, Massapequa Park and South Farmingdale through Amityville to parts of West Babylon, Babylon and West Islip. Durso has represented those communities such 2021.
Durso, 46, said that one of his priorities is the passage of Connor's Law. The bill, named for Connor Kasin, a 17-year-old Massapequa High School hockey player who collapsed and died during a game in 2024, would require cardiac screenings for student athletes participating in school sports.
“After Connor’s passing, I came up with the idea for this bill to ensure that student athletes can participate in sports safely and with peace of mind,” Durso said. “Heart screenings are important tools used to detect potentially underlying conditions that may put a child at risk, and should be required in order to participate in school sports.”
Durso grew up in a blue-collar family in Massapequa Park, where he still lives, and graduated from Massapequa High School. While in high school, he attended Nassau BOCES' Barry Tech vocational education program. His wife, Dana, is a village trustee. The couple have two daughters.
Durso began his career as a Town of Oyster Bay sanitation worker, and later became a sanitation supervisor. He also worked as a public safety officer at Hofstra University. A former member of CSEA Local 881 and Teamsters Local 553, he describes himself as a “Labor Republican.”
Now completing his third two-year term in the Assembly, Durso is the ranking member of the Labor Committee, and also serves on the Science and Technology, Health, Consumer Affairs, Racing and Wagering, Transportation, and Skills Development and Career Education committees.
Among his other priorities for the next two years, he said, is expanding technical education in public schools, and encouraging students to develop practical skills they can take into the workforce.
“I want to change the mindset that working with one's hands is a dirty job and beneath people,” he said.
Durso said that one of his proudest accomplishments has been building relationships between the Assembly's Republican conference and organized labor, and helping fellow Republicans better understand labor issues. His biggest disappointment, he said, has been seeing legislation he believes could help New Yorkers stall because of partisan divisions.
He added that he is not afraid to voice his opposition to the Democratic majority in Albany. He voted against the Medical Aid in Dying Act, which allows terminally ill adults who meet certain requirements to request medication to end their lives. Durso said he was concerned that the legislation did not provide sufficient protections for vulnerable people.
“New York is great at being first, but terrible about doing things right,” he said.
Durso said he supports universal prekindergarten, but has criticized legislation requiring local school districts to offer the program by the 2028-29 school year. He said that districts should have greater flexibility in how they use state funding to implement their programs.
He has also criticized legislation that would restrict cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities. “Local police should be able to work with the federal government to make people safe,” Durso said. “Not allowing local law enforcement to work with the federal government on immigration matters is dangerous for the local community.”
