Prior to his
election to the
Assembly, Cunningham worked in
government,
nonprofit, and
educational sectors that focused on
youth development and
community engagement. He also served as a senior aide in city, state and federal government, concentrating on constituent services, housing, and education policy. with the “2023 Women of Distinction Award” Cunningham first sought election in
2017 for the
40th district of the
New York City Council. He received second place in the Democratic primary, losing to then-incumbent
Mathieu Eugene, before contesting the general election as a third party candidate. He ran as nominee of the
Reform Party with the endorsement of the
Working Families Party. However, he placed second again to the then-incumbent. Cunningham was elected to the New York State Assembly in March 2022, succeeding
Diana Richardson in a special election. Since taking office, he has championed policies focused on education equity, affordable housing, workforce development, and public safety reform. In 2022, Cunningham endorsed
Yuh-Line Niou for the
2022 election in the 10th congressional district. However, he later rescinded his endorsement following Niou's declaration of support for the
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. In June 2023, Cunningham honored
Ezras Nashim with the “2023 Women of Distinction Award” for achieving the first all-female volunteer EMT team. In December 2024, Cunningham was selected to become part of the 2025-2026 Prenatal-to-Three Innovation Fellowship cohort hosted by the Future Caucus. The fellowship gathers young legislators invested in drafting bipartisan policy to address key healthcare issues. == References ==