NEW YORK, NY — Massimiliano “Max” Zappone, a lifelong New Yorker, father of two, and community advocate, today announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives in New York’s 12th Congressional District.
Zappone, a Republican, is running to fill the open seat being vacated by retiring Representative Jerry Nadler—and to stop the Democratic machine from handing it to a socialist who would make life in Manhattan even more expensive.
“I’m not a career politician. I’m a father who’s had to fight city bureaucracy to get my son the help he needed. I’m a neighbor who rides the same subways, walks the same streets, and feels the same squeeze on his wallet as everyone else in this district,” said Zappone. “NY-12 has been treated like a safe seat for decades—and now the political establishment wants to hand it to Zohran Mamdani, a self-described socialist whose policies would make housing more expensive, taxes higher, and our streets less safe. That ends now.”
A New York Story
Zappone was born in Italy and came to America with his parents and sister when he was one year old. He grew up in the Bronx, attended Fordham Prep and Fordham University, and built a career in development and building management—work that gave him firsthand knowledge of the challenges facing New York’s housing market and small property owners.
He and his wife, who emigrated from Poland, are raising their two children in Manhattan—both born at NewYork-Presbyterian on the Upper East Side. Their daughter Victoria attends school on 84th and Park. Their son Giovanni attends school in the Bronx, where he receives speech therapy services.
It was Giovanni’s story that pushed Zappone from community advocacy into the political arena.
“When Giovanni was three, he couldn’t speak at all. We did everything right—went through every hoop, got approved for early intervention services. And then the system failed us. The services never came. He aged out of the program before he ever got help,” Zappone said. “We were lucky. We could afford to pay out of pocket. But it made me think about all the families who can’t—all the kids who fall through the cracks while the money disappears into a broken bureaucracy. That’s not a policy debate to me. That’s personal.”
The Case for Change
Zappone acknowledged the steep odds facing any Republican running in one of the most Democratic districts in the country but framed his candidacy as a necessary challenge to one-party complacency.
“I know what people say—’A Republican can’t win in Manhattan.’ Maybe they’re right. But I also know this: when one party knows it’s going to win no matter what, voters lose their leverage. Nobody has to listen to you. Nobody has to show up. Nobody has to earn it,” Zappone said. “I’m running because the people of NY-12 deserve someone who will actually fight for them—not coast on a safe seat while the district gets harder and harder to live in.”
Zappone’s campaign will focus on four core priorities:
Public Safety: “New Yorkers shouldn’t have to think twice about whether it’s safe to take the subway home. We need leadership that takes street-level disorder and transit safety seriously—not politicians who pretend the problem doesn’t exist.”
Affordability: “This city is squeezing working families dry—rent, utilities, groceries, childcare. I’m fighting for real relief: tax cuts for homeowners and co-op and condo owners, lower utility costs, and a government that stops treating New Yorkers like ATMs.”
Accountability: “I exposed fraud and dysfunction in a system that was supposed to help my own son. I’ll bring that same energy to Washington—making sure programs actually serve the people who need them, not the bureaucrats who run them.”
Immigration Reform: “I came to this country as a one-year-old. My wife came here from communist Poland. We believe in America—and we believe in a real path forward for immigrants who’ve put down roots, worked hard, and played by the rules. Not open borders. Not mass deportation. Common-sense reform.”
Standing With the Jewish Community: “Antisemitism is rising in this city, and too many leaders stay silent. I won’t. I’ll stand with New York’s Jewish community—and fight for religious protections for everyone.”
A Challenge to the Machine
“This seat has been on autopilot for forty years. Now it’s open—and the same political machine that ignored this district wants to hand it to a socialist who thinks the problem with New York is that government isn’t big enough,” Zappone said. “Zohran Mamdani’s agenda—more taxes, more spending, more control—would crush working families and small businesses. I’m running to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
About the Campaign
Max Zappone is running a grassroots, neighbor-to-neighbor campaign focused on earning every vote in NY-12. He is asking supporters to join him by visiting MaxZappone.com, signing up to volunteer, and contributing to the campaign.
“They think they can hand-pick the next congressman without a fight,” Zappone said. “Let’s prove them wrong.”