Jennifer Cunningham
| Jennifer Cunningham | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | •SKDKnickerbocker |
| Role: | Partner |
| Location: | New York, N.Y. |
| Education: | Wesleyan University and New York University School of Law |
Jennifer Cunningham is a political consultant and a partner for SKDKnickerbocker’s New York office. She was also a prominent registered New York lobbyist until 2010. She has been active in New York state politics for more than 15 years, contributing to Eric Schneiderman’s 2010 attorney general campaign as well as Andrew Cuomo’s campaigns. Crain’s New York Business mentioned her as part of its 2007 “100 most influential women in NYC business” list and the New York Observer ranked her 18th in its 2015 list of Albany’s top 40 power players.[1][2]
Career
Jennifer Cunningham attended Wesleyan University and New York University’s School of Law, which she graduated from in 1991. In 1990, she married Eric Schneiderman, who would become New York State’s Attorney General in 2010 (she and Schneiderman later divorced).[3][4]
Cunningham worked as a lawyer for Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and later served as deputy counsel to former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.[2] In 1999, she became executive vice president for politics and legislation at 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, one of Albany, N.Y.'s most powerful unions.[2][5]
In 2006, Cunningham served as an adviser for Andrew Cuomo’s attorney general campaign (she had been friends with Cuomo since the 1980s).[6][7] She became a principal at a lobbying firm called Cordo & Co., and also joined public relations firm SKDKnickerbocker a year later.[6][8][9]
Cunningham left Cordo & Co. and deregistered as a lobbyist in 2010 in order to avoid conflicts of interest. She worked as media and advertising director for Schneiderman’s 2010 attorney general campaign and served the same role during his 2014 re-election bid.[2][6][9] She informally advised Cuomo during his 2010 gubernatorial run as well.[5][6][10]
New Yorkers United for Marriage hired Cunningham as a lead consultant in 2011, and she served as a senior adviser for Christine Quinn’s run for New York City mayor in 2013.[5][6][11]
In October 2015, the New York Observer ranked Cunningham number 18 on its list of Albany’s top 40 power players, and as of December 2015, she is a partner for SKDKnickerbocker’s New York office.[2][12]
Media
2016 Democratic National Convention
- Delegate to the 2016 DNC (click to expand)
- See also: Democratic National Convention, 2016
Cunningham was a superdelegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from New York.[13] Cunningham was one of 44 superdelegates from New York. Superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention were not bound by the results of their state’s primary or caucus to support a specific presidential candidate. Cunningham supported Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.[14] Clinton formally won the Democratic nomination for president on July 26, 2016.[15]
What is a superdelegate?
Superdelegates in 2016 were automatic delegates to the Democratic National Convention, meaning that, unlike regular delegates, they were not elected to this position. Also unlike regular delegates, they were not required to pledge their support to any presidential candidate, and they were not bound by the results of their state's presidential primary election or caucus. In 2016, superdelegates included members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, and distinguished party leaders, including former presidents and vice presidents. All superdelegates were free to support any presidential candidate of their choosing at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.[16]
New York primary results
- See also: Presidential election in New York, 2016
New York Democratic Primary, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates 
Hillary Clinton 57.5% 1,133,980 139 Bernie Sanders 41.6% 820,256 108 Blank or void 0.8% 16,664 0 Totals 1,970,900 247 Source: The New York Times and New York State Board of Elections Delegate allocation
New York had 291 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 247 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide primary results.[18][19]
Forty-four party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.[18][20]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ PR Newswire, "Crain's New York Business Announces '100 Most Influential Women in NYC Business'," September 30, 2007
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 New York Observer, "State of Confusion: Albany’s Top 40 Power Players," October 6, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, "Jennifer Cunningham Weds Eric Schneiderman," October 8, 1990
- ↑ Daily Entertainment News, "Jennifer Cunningham: NY State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s Ex-Wife," October 20, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The National Memo, "Exclusive: Jennifer Cunningham, The Cuomo Strategist That Made Gay Marriage Happen in New York, Dishes On The Win And Where Marriage Equality Goes From Here," July 21, 2011
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Crains New York Business, "Just don't call these consultants lobbyists," Septe,ber 7, 2014
- ↑ City & State, "The Influentials," August 20, 2012
- ↑ New York Times, "Top Lobbyist Leaves Business to Avoid Conflicts," November 30, 2010
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 SKDKnickerbocker, "Jennifer Cunningham," accessed December 4, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, "Adviser to Cuomo Is Also Top Lobbyist," April 29, 2010
- ↑ Talking Points Memo, "NYC's Mayoral Race Draws Top-Flight Political Operatives," June 18, 2013
- ↑ SKDKnickerbocker, "NY Observer Names Jennifer Cunningham in Albany's Top 40 List for Third Straight Year," October 8, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia's list of superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention is based on our own research and lists provided by the Democratic National Committee to Vox.com in February 2016 and May 2016. If you think we made an error in identifying superdelegates, please send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.
- ↑ Observer, “Hillary Clinton has a lot of big names on her New York leadership team,” October 26, 2015
- ↑ To find out which candidate a superdelegate supported, Ballotpedia sought out public statements from the superdelegate in other media outlets and on social media. If we were unable to find a public statement that clearly articulated which candidate the superdelegate supported at the national convention, we listed that superdelegate as "unknown." If you believe we made an error in identifying which candidate a superdelegate supported, please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Presidential Nominating Process and the National Party Conventions, 2016: Frequently Asked Questions," December 30, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "New York Exit Poll," accessed April 19, 2016
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
- ↑ The Green Papers, "2016 Democratic Convention," accessed May 7, 2021
- ↑ Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016
