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Anna Kelles

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Anna Kelles
Image of Anna Kelles
New York State Assembly District 125
Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

4

Predecessor

Compensation

Base salary

$142,000/year

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Binghamton University, 1997

Ph.D

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2008

Personal
Birthplace
Trumansburg, N.Y.
Profession
Professor
Contact

Anna Kelles (Democratic Party) is a member of the New York State Assembly, representing District 125. She assumed office on January 1, 2021. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.

Kelles (Democratic Party, Working Families Party) ran for re-election to the New York State Assembly to represent District 125. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Anna Kelles was born in Trumansburg, New York. Kelles earned a bachelor's degree in biology and environmental studies from Binghamton University in 1997 and a Ph.D. in nutritional epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008. Her career experience includes working as a professor, a nonprofit director, and a human rights activist.[1]

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Kelles was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Kelles was assigned to the following committees:

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Elections

2024

See also: New York State Assembly elections, 2024

General election

General election for New York State Assembly District 125

Incumbent Anna Kelles won election in the general election for New York State Assembly District 125 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Anna Kelles
Anna Kelles (D / Working Families Party)
 
97.5
 
44,304
 Other/Write-in votes
 
2.5
 
1,131

Total votes: 45,435
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Anna Kelles advanced from the Democratic primary for New York State Assembly District 125.

Working Families Party primary election

The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Incumbent Anna Kelles advanced from the Working Families Party primary for New York State Assembly District 125.

Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Kelles in this election.

2022

See also: New York State Assembly elections, 2022

General election

General election for New York State Assembly District 125

Incumbent Anna Kelles won election in the general election for New York State Assembly District 125 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Anna Kelles
Anna Kelles (D / Working Families Party)
 
99.4
 
32,321
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.6
 
192

Total votes: 32,513
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Anna Kelles advanced from the Democratic primary for New York State Assembly District 125.

Working Families Party primary election

The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Incumbent Anna Kelles advanced from the Working Families Party primary for New York State Assembly District 125.

2020

See also: New York State Assembly elections, 2020

General election

General election for New York State Assembly District 125

Anna Kelles defeated Matthew McIntyre in the general election for New York State Assembly District 125 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Anna Kelles
Anna Kelles (D / Working Families Party) Candidate Connection
 
68.8
 
37,673
Matthew McIntyre (R / L)
 
31.1
 
17,028
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
45

Total votes: 54,746
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New York State Assembly District 125

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for New York State Assembly District 125 on June 23, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Anna Kelles
Anna Kelles Candidate Connection
 
36.0
 
5,509
Seph Murtagh
 
21.8
 
3,340
Image of Jordan Lesser
Jordan Lesser
 
14.7
 
2,245
Sujata Gibson
 
11.5
 
1,756
Jason Leifer
 
6.2
 
948
Beau Harbin
 
5.0
 
767
Lisa Hoeschele Candidate Connection
 
4.8
 
734
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
12

Total votes: 15,311
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Matthew McIntyre advanced from the Republican primary for New York State Assembly District 125.

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Matthew McIntyre advanced from the Libertarian primary for New York State Assembly District 125.

Working Families Party primary election

The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Anna Kelles advanced from the Working Families Party primary for New York State Assembly District 125.

Endorsements

To view Kelles' endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Anna Kelles did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Anna Kelles did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Candidate Connection

Anna Kelles completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Kelles' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am a county legislator, scientist, and educator. Growing up on a dirt road outside of Trumansburg, on the west side of Cayuga Lake, my playground was the forest and my work was the farm up the road. Early on, I was taught to value every person, whether it was a hungry neighbor or refugees from Tibet. I learned early what it means to love the place where you live - and that you have to work hard every day to make it better, for everyone in the community.

I studied Biology and Environmental Studies at Binghamton University, and after years working in South America, earned a PhD in Nutritional Epidemiology from UNC Chapel Hill. As a professor, an environmental non-profit director, a human rights activist and now a Tompkins County legislator, I have used my public health training to advocate for our community.

I've spent my entire adult life in public service, as a public health educator, community organizer, and environmental activist. As a county legislator, I've fought for and passed legislation on the issues I promised to address when I first ran in 2015: strong protections for the environment, affordable housing, human rights, and criminal justice reform.



  • Governance should not be a series of business deals and transactions. When we govern fairly, everyone gets what they need to reach their full potential. No one goes hungry; everyone has healthcare; and everyone has the opportunity to obtain the education they desire, find a job, or start a business. And, the planet is honored and sustained for the future. This is what "Policy for the People" means and this is what I will fight for in Albany.
  • Right now, we're facing the greatest challenge of our lifetimes. This crisis has made clearer than ever the critical need for universal healthcare and childcare.
  • New York should lead the way into a green future with good paying, local jobs in wind and solar, rebuilt infrastructure, and new approaches to housing that work for everyone.
I will fight to reduce health care costs in New York by cutting insurance premiums and prioritizing preventative care and prioritizing a transition to the New York Health Act and a single-payer system.

I will work to increase access to affordable childcare. We must invest in our future with sufficient state aid to families as well as meet the tremendous need for increased staffing and childcare center development. New York State should invest heavily in achieving universal childcare, both for the sake of our children and to ensure that New York remains a good place to raise a family.

We must make strong investments in our renewable energy and conservation sectors, which will create good-paying, union jobs for Upstate New York. I will fight for increased investments in renewable energy technologies and green building technology, electrification of our transportation systems as well as water infrastructure updates, and economic support for sustainable agricultural practices.
As a legislator, it has been my mission to keep my constituents as informed as possible so that we can work together to create the priorities that I fight for. When I have to vote on controversial issues I put the extra time in to educate my constituents on what my stance is and why I'm taking that stance instead of simply and quietly making a vote. Sometimes my explanations incite further debate, but ultimately it means that my relationship with my constituents is genuine and meaningful. My record shows that I am not afraid to do the hard work, take the hard vote, get the job done, and keep the promises I make.

There is no substitute for hearing from all different sectors of our community - both urban and rural - about their concerns and needs. I will actively reach out to residents from throughout our diverse district to listen to their concerns, and will use their input to help guide my actions representing the people of the 125th district.
My degree is in epidemiology - I'm trained to look at whole systems, to understand how individual parts interact to affect an outcome. This helps me see how a comprehensive approach can achieve the intended outcomes. If there is an issue I need to understand better, I research tirelessly, I engage with stakeholders, and learn everything I possibly can in order to make informed and fair decisions. If there is an area of government I am weak in I intentionally prioritize it to broaden my competence. I am an independent thinker and decision-maker; doing what's right is not always easy or popular. However, I am guided by a deep, core commitment to serving the people I have been elected to represent with honesty and integrity, no matter how challenging.
Cleaning horse stalls at a local farm in Trumansburg, NY. It gave me a chance to be near one of the most majestic animals that exist and learn to defend my physical boundaries daily with the resident rooster.
One Fine Day by David Byrne sung live with Brooklyn Youth Chorus at a National Sawdust Gala in Brooklyn.
I think it is an absolute benefit for the state legislature. Experience at a municipal level connects a legislator intimately with local challenges and needs of the constituents they represent. As a county legislator, I have years of experience navigating the nuances of legislative procedures and coalition building to effectively champion legislation, often with bipartisan support.
Economic recovery from this COVID-19 crisis that is equitable and sustainable is and will be our greatest challenge. Creating an economy and infrastructure that is environmentally sound and meets or exceeds our greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals is both one of our greatest challenges and our greatest opportunities. Efforts to green our economy with investments in both green infrastructure and building a robust green workforce should be key focus areas to both meet our environmental goals and help us recover economically from this crisis.
This is one of the most important roles of a public servant and legislator. The ability to both champion a cause while truly listening to all points of view is a hallmark trait of a bridge-builder. This is not to say that a legislator should compromise their values in the face of opposing points of view. Truly listening and being open to learn however, can create solutions that are stronger than any one person can create alone. by the nature of democracy, legislation cannot move forward into law without a majority vote, so the ability to build coalitions is a key trait of an effective legislator. As an academician and legislator, I have had years of training refining my thoughts, debating, and most importantly learning as part of teams. I have found these traits invaluable in my government tenure.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Anna Kelles campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* New York State Assembly District 125Won general$94,837 $0
2022New York State Assembly District 125Won general$48,667 $0
2020New York State Assembly District 125Won general$72,901 N/A**
Grand total$216,405 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in New York

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of New York scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.


2024


2023


2022


2021








See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 18, 2020

Political offices
Preceded by
Barbara Lifton (D)
New York State Assembly District 125
2021-Present
Succeeded by
-


Current members of the New York State Assembly
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Carl Heastie
Representatives
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Edward Ra (R)
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Ron Kim (D)
District 41
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Jo Simon (D)
District 53
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Grace Lee (D)
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Paula Kay (D)
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Vacant
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Al Stirpe (D)
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Democratic Party (102)
Republican Party (47)
Vacancies (1)