Michael R. McNulty (born September 16, 1947) is a politician from the U.S. state of New York, currently representing the state's 21st Congressional district (map) in the United States House of Representatives. The district is based in Albany and also includes Schenectady and Troy. He is a Democrat. McNulty was born in Troy and he graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. McNulty was mayor of Green Island, New York from 1977 to 1982. McNulty was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1982. In 1988, Congressman Samuel S. Stratton announced his withdrawal from the race due to health issues. McNulty was selected to replace him on the ballot and was easily elected in the heavily Democratic district, one of the few reliably Democratic areas in Upstate New York. He has been re-elected eight times without much difficulty. 2004 was his closest general election when he was challenged by Republican Warren Redlich. He also had a primary challenge in 1996 by Lee Wasserman, in which he won by a closer margin than he ever had in the general election.
McNulty has become much more liberal since his earlier days in the House, when he favored more of Newt Gingrich's Contract with America than any other Northeastern Democrat. He remains moderate on social issues (for instance, he is pro-life on abortion), but very liberal on economic issues.
McNulty is known for being one of the less prolific members of the house; he has said he does not plan to run for any higher offices or leadership posts within the house. Additionally, he is known for being relatively quiet and not saying much on the floor. However, recently he became an outspoken critic of President George W. Bush's Social Security reform plan.
