U.S. House, New York 26th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in New York's 26th Congressional District?
Tim Kennedy has the strongest record in New York's 26th Congressional District. Tim Kennedy scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Tim Kennedy's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Dennis Hannon (5 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican
Dennis Hannon
On the ballot as Dennis E. Hannon
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 5 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Tim Kennedy
On the ballot as Timothy M. Kennedy
67 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 58
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.
Dennis Hannon
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Tim Kennedy
- Credit2025
Voted Yea on the HALT Fentanyl Act and the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act in 2025 when House Democratic leaders voted Nay.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 33, 2025, HALT Fentanyl Act, House Clerk Roll Call 17, 2025, Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act
- Credit2024-2026
Missed 1 of 1,016 House roll call votes from May 2024 to September 2026, 0.1 percent.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
- Credit2013-07-29
Sponsored Jay-J's Law in the State Senate, raising penalties for repeat child abusers; Governor Cuomo signed it in July 2013.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Dennis Hannon. Filed a House candidate financial disclosure on May 14, 2026. His committee is registered with the FEC; no FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078232, FEC administrative fines search
Tim Kennedy. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed May 12, 2026. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10077641, House Committee on Ethics site search for Kennedy, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Dennis Hannon. No public record found.
Tim Kennedy. Voted Yea on the HALT Fentanyl Act, the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act and the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act in 2025 when Democratic Leader Jeffries and Caucus Chair Aguilar voted Nay.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 33, 2025, HALT Fentanyl Act, House Clerk Roll Call 17, 2025, Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, House Clerk Roll Call 42, 2025, Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Dennis Hannon. No public record found.
Tim Kennedy. Held a telephone town hall in March 2025, per his office calendar. No 2026 general election debate or forum record found.
Source: Office site, Calendar
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Dennis Hannon. No public record found.
Tim Kennedy. Served in the Erie County Legislature from 2004, the State Senate from 2011 to 2024 and the House since 2024. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Wikipedia, Tim Kennedy, House Committee on Ethics site search for Kennedy
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Dennis Hannon. No public record found.
Tim Kennedy. Has held sworn county, state and federal office since 2004. Took his House seat in May 2024, after the January 2021 electoral count; no misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: GovTrack, missed votes, Wikipedia, Tim Kennedy
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Dennis Hannon. Grew up working in his father's construction business and has worked as a technology professional. Has not held public office.
Sources: Spectrum News, April 12, 2026, Ballotpedia, Dennis Hannon
Tim Kennedy. Thirteen years in the New York State Senate (2011 to 2024) and in the U.S. House since May 2024; earlier an Erie County legislator and a licensed occupational therapist.
Source: Wikipedia, Tim Kennedy
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Dennis Hannon. His Ballotpedia survey lists priorities on public safety, immigration and worksite enforcement, fentanyl trafficking, costs and child protection, mostly in general terms.
Source: Ballotpedia, Dennis Hannon
Tim Kennedy. Ranking member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology; also sits on Veterans' Affairs subcommittees. Publishes issue pages.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Office site, home page
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Dennis Hannon. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. His campaign site did not load.
Source: Ballotpedia, Dennis Hannon
Tim Kennedy. Offers an e-newsletter, publishes issue pages and held a telephone town hall in 2025. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Office site, Calendar, Ballotpedia, Tim Kennedy
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Dennis Hannon. His FEC candidate record lists Tonawanda, which is in the district. No FEC itemized contributions are reported.
Sources: FEC contribution totals by state, Wikipedia, New York's 26th congressional district
Tim Kennedy. Raised in South Buffalo and lives in Buffalo, which is in the district. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 86 percent of itemized individual contributions from New York.
Sources: Wikipedia, Tim Kennedy, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Dennis Hannon. No public record found.
Tim Kennedy. 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.
Dennis Hannon. No public record found.
Tim Kennedy. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.241 for his partial 118th Congress (from May 2024) against a benchmark of 0.522, below expectations. GovTrack lists no enacted bill he sponsored.
Source: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Dennis Hannon. No public record found.
Tim Kennedy. Missed 1 of 1,016 roll call votes, 0.1 percent, from May 2024 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Dennis Hannon. No public record found.
Tim Kennedy. Runs district offices in Buffalo and Niagara Falls and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, Office Locations, Office site, home page
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Dennis Hannon. No public record found.
Tim Kennedy. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Dennis Hannon. No public record found.
Tim Kennedy. 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 26th Congressional District?
Tim Kennedy has the strongest record in New York's 26th Congressional District. Tim Kennedy scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Tim Kennedy's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Dennis Hannon (5 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in New York's 26th Congressional District in 2026?
Dennis Hannon (Republican), Tim Kennedy (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Dennis Hannon a good candidate for Congress?
Dennis Hannon has public evidence on 5 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Tim Kennedy a good candidate for Congress?
Tim Kennedy scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 58 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.