Ed Ra - New York State Assembly Member

Edward P. Ra was born on November 4, 1981, in Mineola, New York. A Long Island native, Ra is a Republican politician currently serving in the New York State Assembly representing the 19th State Assembly district, which includes portions of the towns of Hempstead, North Hempstead, and Oyster Bay in Nassau County.

Ra resides in Garden City South with his wife, Laura, and their shelter dog, Carter. He is an active member of several community organizations, including the Franklin Square Kiwanis, the Knights of Columbus , and the Order Sons of Italy in America.

Education

Ra received his B.A. in Computer Science from Loyola College in Maryland in 2004, where he served on the Student Government Association for four years, including as Senior Class President. He earned his J.D. from St. John's University School of Law in 2007 and his LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2008. He is admitted to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Political Experience

Ra was first elected to the New York State Assembly on November 2, 2010, defeating Democrat Patrick Nicolosi. Prior to his election, he served as Deputy Town Attorney for the Town of Hempstead and as a legal aide in the Office of the New York State Attorney General.

Throughout his tenure in the Assembly, Ra has held several leadership positions. He served as Ranking Minority Member of the Assembly Education Committee, where he advocated for students with special needs and opposed the state's overreliance on standardized testing. He also served as Assistant Minority Leader Pro Tempore and Ranking Minority Member of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, which oversees all bills with fiscal implications and New York State budget legislation.

At age 44, Ra was unanimously elected Minority Leader of the New York State Assembly on February 9, 2026, becoming the youngest minority leader elected in decades. He replaced Will Barclay, who had resigned from the position.

Ra co-founded the New York Future Caucus, a bipartisan group of legislators aged 45 and under, serving as Republican co-chair. His legislative priorities include transparency and accountability in the state budget process, rooting out public corruption, and promoting public safety. He led efforts to reform changes to the state's bail and discovery laws and has opposed congestion pricing in New York City.