U.S. House, New York 25th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in New York's 25th Congressional District?
Joe Morelle has the strongest record in New York's 25th Congressional District. Joe Morelle scores 75 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Virginia McIntyre at 59, as of October 9, 2026. Joe Morelle's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Virginia McIntyre's highest marks are roots in the constituency and relevant experience. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican
Virginia McIntyre
On the ballot as Virginia E. McIntyre
59 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 65
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Joe Morelle
On the ballot as Joseph D. Morelle
75 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 88
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Virginia McIntyre
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Joe Morelle
- Unresolved2020-07-27
Monroe County Legislator Sabrina LaMar filed an Office of Congressional Ethics complaint in July 2020 alleging he sought her firing from RIT; he acknowledged contacting RIT, denied seeking her firing, and apologized.
Where it stands: No public outcome as of 2026-10-09: the Office of Congressional Conduct referrals list (2010 to 2026) shows no referral regarding him and no House Ethics statement names him; dismissed or unopened matters are not published.
Sources: WXXI News, July 27, 2020, WXXI News, July 28, 2020, Spectrum News, July 30, 2020, Office of Congressional Conduct, Investigations (referrals list, 2010 to 2026), Office of Congressional Conduct, FAQ
- On the record1992-01-22
As a freshman assemblyman he pleaded guilty in January 1992 to two counts of disorderly conduct over improperly signed 1990 nominating petitions; sentenced to community service and a $25 court fee.
Source: Democrat and Chronicle, Jan. 23, 1992 (Newspapers.com page, Wayback Machine copy)
- Credit2023
Ranked 103 of 436 House members on the Lugar Center Bipartisan Index for 2023, in the top quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
- Credit2021-01-06
Voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to the certified Arizona and Pennsylvania electors.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Virginia McIntyre. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed May 11, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10077459, FEC administrative fines search
Joe Morelle. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed Aug. 12, 2026 after an extension. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078020, House Committee on Ethics site search for Morelle, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Virginia McIntyre. No public record found.
Joe Morelle. Voted for the POLICE Act in 2023 and the Laken Riley Act and the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act in 2025 when Democratic Leader Jeffries and Caucus Chair Aguilar voted against.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 225, 2023, POLICE Act, House Clerk Roll Call 6, Jan. 2025, Laken Riley Act, House Clerk Roll Call 42, 2025, Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Virginia McIntyre. No public record found.
Joe Morelle. Held an in-person town hall in Rochester in September 2025 with about 50 constituents chosen by lottery. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Source: WXXI News, Sept. 26, 2025
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Virginia McIntyre. Monroe County legislator for Gates and Greece since 2024. No formal conduct finding found.
Sources: WHEC News10NBC, Ballotpedia, Virginia McIntyre
Joe Morelle. Served in the State Assembly from 1991 to 2018, including as majority leader, and in the House since 2018. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found; a 2020 complaint to the Office of Congressional Ethics is open in the Record.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Joseph Morelle, House Committee on Ethics site search for Morelle
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Virginia McIntyre. Has held sworn county legislative office since 2024; no official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: WHEC News10NBC
Joe Morelle. Voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to the Arizona and Pennsylvania electors. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021 (Arizona objection), House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021 (Pennsylvania objection)
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Virginia McIntyre. Monroe County legislator since January 2024 (Environment and Public Works and Intergovernmental Relations committees); chairs the Gates Conservation Advisory Board; earlier an educator, language professor and interpreter.
Sources: Monroe County Legislature, legislator page, WXXI News, Feb. 12, 2026, Ballotpedia, Virginia McIntyre
Joe Morelle. In the U.S. House since November 2018 after 27 years in the New York State Assembly, the last six as majority leader.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Joseph Morelle, Wikipedia, Joseph Morelle
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Virginia McIntyre. Her Ballotpedia survey lists priorities on public safety, schools, tax relief and fiscal responsibility, in general terms.
Source: Ballotpedia, Virginia McIntyre
Joe Morelle. Ranking member of the House Administration Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee (Defense and Commerce, Justice, Science subcommittees). Publishes issue pages.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Office site, home page
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Virginia McIntyre. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Her campaign site shows only a title page.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Virginia McIntyre, Campaign site
Joe Morelle. Offers an e-newsletter, publishes issue pages and held a town hall in 2025. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, WXXI News, Sept. 26, 2025, Ballotpedia, Joseph Morelle
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Virginia McIntyre. Born and raised in Monroe County, lives in Gates and attended Gates Chili High School; Monroe County lies wholly in the district. FEC by-state totals for 2026 show all itemized individual contributions from New York.
Sources: WXXI News, Feb. 12, 2026, Monroe County Legislature, legislator page, WHEC News10NBC, FEC contribution totals by state
Joe Morelle. Grew up in Irondequoit and lives there, in Monroe County, which lies wholly in the district. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 76 percent of itemized individual contributions from New York.
Sources: Wikipedia, Joseph Morelle, WXXI News, Sept. 26, 2025, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Virginia McIntyre. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Joe Morelle. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Virginia McIntyre. No public record found.
Joe Morelle. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.861 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.535, exceeds expectations. His only enacted sponsored bill is a 2019 post office naming.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Virginia McIntyre. No public record found.
Joe Morelle. Missed 77 of 3,953 roll call votes, 1.9 percent, from November 2018 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Virginia McIntyre. No public record found.
Joe Morelle. Runs a Rochester district office and publishes 2026 casework figures: 419 cases closed and $1,340,122.95 returned to constituents.
Sources: Office site, Offices, Office site, home page
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Virginia McIntyre. No public record found.
Joe Morelle. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of 0.14017 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 103 of 436, in the top quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Virginia McIntyre. No public record found.
Joe Morelle. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in New York's 25th Congressional District?
Joe Morelle has the strongest record in New York's 25th Congressional District. Joe Morelle scores 75 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Virginia McIntyre at 59, as of October 9, 2026. Joe Morelle's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Virginia McIntyre's highest marks are roots in the constituency and relevant experience. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in New York's 25th Congressional District in 2026?
Virginia McIntyre (Republican), Joe Morelle (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Virginia McIntyre a good candidate for Congress?
Virginia McIntyre scores 59 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 65 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Joe Morelle a good candidate for Congress?
Joe Morelle scores 75 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 88 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every New York race scored, and the New York 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.