VoterLens
Governor of New York
Alfred University—B.A. in History; University at Buffalo—M.A. in History; University at Buffalo—M.S./master's in Library and Information Science
Data last updated 10/19/2026
Jonathan Makeley is a historian focused on American reform movements and a Prohibition Party activist. He has served as Angelica town historian since 2017, helped reestablish the Prohibition Party of New York in 2017, became its state chairman in 2018, and became national secretary of the Prohibition Party in 2019. He is the editor and main writer of the New York Prohibitionist and is running as the Prohibition Party write-in candidate for Governor of New York in 2026.
Committee Assignments: No committee assignments available.
Jonathan Makeley frames healthcare mainly as public health: improving healthcare access and affordability while emphasizing prevention, addiction treatment, mental healthcare, tobacco cessation, and reducing harms from alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, opioids, lead, and other contaminants.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Makeley supports policies to protect and promote public health, including improving access to and affordability of healthcare.
SourceThe New York Prohibition Party platform associated with Makeley's campaign supports policies to ensure people can receive decent healthcare and improve public and personal health, including countering tobacco harms.
SourceMakeley supports broader public-health policies such as accelerating replacement of lead water pipes, lead paint, and other contaminants that harm New Yorkers' health.
SourceJonathan Makeley supports reforming New York's economic development programs to root out corruption and mismanagement, expand opportunity, improve infrastructure, and better serve communities statewide, including small towns. He also ties affordability and jobs to state finance reforms, education and vocational access, ending state support for industries he says impose public costs, and sustainable energy development.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Makeley supports economic development that is responsible, sustainable, community-focused, and rejects advantages for politically connected businesses or industries that impose broader social and economic costs.
SourceMakeley supports revitalizing and improving roads, bridges, railways, water systems, electric systems, and broadband infrastructure as part of expanding economic opportunity in New York.
SourceMakeley supports expanding affordability and access for college and vocational education, including policies to help New Yorkers access tuition-free college or vocational education.
SourceNo public position by Jonathan Makeley on Immigration was found in the reviewed sources for his 2026 Prohibition Party campaign for Governor of New York. His official campaign issues page discusses governance, public health, justice, equality, education, finance, economic development, infrastructure, environment, and affordability, but does not mention immigration, immigrants, or ICE.
Jonathan Makeley supports environmental stewardship, sustainable business practices, renewable energy development, and sustainable energy while balancing New York's economic needs. His campaign materials also connect climate and energy-adjacent policy to infrastructure, calling for improvements to electric systems, water systems, and cleanup of environmental contaminants.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Makeley's campaign issues page says New York should protect important parts of the environment, advance sustainable business practices, and advance sustainable energy while balancing economic needs.
SourceMakeley's campaign says growth in New York's wind and solar industries creates opportunities to increase renewable energy while expanding economic opportunities and jobs in communities across the state.
SourceIn a September 7, 2026 campaign release, Makeley called for improving infrastructure across New York, including water and electric systems, as part of reforming economic development and revitalizing communities.
SourceMakeley's campaign public-health platform says the state should clean up environmental contaminants and replace lead pipes in water systems.
SourceJonathan Makeley supports improving New York education by properly funding school districts, strengthening core academics, critical thinking, information literacy, and citizenship education, and expanding pathways to tuition-free college or vocational education. He also supports expanded financial aid, including TAP expansion, improved aid for part-time students, and more support for work-training programs.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Makeley states that New York should reform state aid to schools so all school districts are properly funded and student needs are better supported.
SourceMakeley supports education policies that ensure strong teaching of core subjects while promoting critical thinking, information literacy, and good citizenship.
SourceMakeley supports expanding New York's Tuition Assistance Program and other policies to make college or vocational education tuition-free for New Yorkers.
SourceIn a candidate interview, Makeley said he supports improving financial aid for part-time students and increasing support for work-training programs.
SourceJonathan Makeley frames public safety as part of an "Advancing Justice" agenda: stronger laws against rape, sexual assault, human trafficking, child abuse, domestic violence, illicit drug trafficking, and drunk or drugged driving, paired with improved and accountable law enforcement. He also supports conditional use of automated license-plate surveillance only with stronger safeguards, human review, transparency, and suspension where safeguards cannot be enacted.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Makeley says New York should enact stronger laws against rape, sexual assault, human trafficking, child abuse, domestic violence, illicit drug trafficking, and drunk or drugged driving, while improving law-enforcement quality, coordination, community relations, and accountability.
SourceMakeley said Flock-style automated license-plate-reader systems should have strong data and video-access safeguards, regular-surveillance evidentiary standards, qualified human review before law-enforcement action, transparency, and suspension where safeguards cannot be enacted.
SourceNew York Prohibition Party - Makeley for Governor
https://newyorkprohibition.wixsite.com/new-york-prohibition/makeley-for-governorFetched: biography, education, location, candidate_office
Partisan Prohibition Historical Society - Jonathan Makeley Biography
https://prohibitionists.org/History/votes/Jonathan_Makeley_bio.htmlFetched: biography, age, education, location
The Hornell Sun
https://hornellsun.com/2026/08/12/western-new-york-historian-jonathan-makeley-is-running-for-governor-on-prohibition-party-platform/Fetched: biography, education, location, candidate_office
Makeley for Governor
https://newyorkprohibition.wixsite.com/new-york-prohibition/makeley-for-governorFetched: votingRecord
Transparency USA
https://www.transparencyusa.org/ny/race/governor-of-new-york-76790Fetched: campaignFinance
Makeley for Governor campaign page
https://newyorkprohibition.wixsite.com/new-york-prohibition/makeley-for-governorFetched: issuePositions
New York Prohibition Party State Platform
https://newyorkprohibition.wixsite.com/new-york-prohibition/issuesFetched: issuePositions
Jonathan Makeley Announces Campaign for New York Governor press release
https://615c4beb-b241-4f4a-a6b4-a074dc02ce34.filesusr.com/ugd/2cc7be_5c7b0b4357574d34bdd2418f32336dbd.pdfFetched: issuePositions
Western New York Historian Jonathan Makeley is Running for Governor press release
https://615c4beb-b241-4f4a-a6b4-a074dc02ce34.filesusr.com/ugd/2cc7be_8873c9afcb424af38a2cee8f4f9e3d78.pdfFetched: issuePositions
A Path for Revitalizing New York press release
https://615c4beb-b241-4f4a-a6b4-a074dc02ce34.filesusr.com/ugd/2cc7be_fb6c7b15f22447df9bdac66cb4626999.pdfFetched: issuePositions
Jonathan Makeley for Governor campaign page
https://newyorkprohibition.wixsite.com/new-york-prohibition/makeley-for-governorFetched: issuePositions
New York Prohibition Party state platform
https://newyorkprohibition.wixsite.com/new-york-prohibition/issuesFetched: issuePositions
Hornell Sun
https://hornellsun.com/2026/08/12/western-new-york-historian-jonathan-makeley-is-running-for-governor-on-prohibition-party-platform/Fetched: issuePositions
Makeley for Governor | New York Prohibition Party
https://newyorkprohibition.wixsite.com/new-york-prohibition/makeley-for-governorFetched: issuePositions
The Dispute Index - Jonathan Makeley
https://disputeindex.com/people/jonathan-makeleyFetched: candidateIdentity, issuePositions
Makeley for Governor campaign website
https://newyorkprohibition.wixsite.com/new-york-prohibition/makeley-for-governorFetched: issuePositions
Jonathan Makeley for Governor campaign press release
https://615c4beb-b241-4f4a-a6b4-a074dc02ce34.filesusr.com/ugd/2cc7be_fb6c7b15f22447df9bdac66cb4626999.pdfFetched: issuePositions
The Interfaith Intrepid
https://theinterfaithintrepid.blog/2026/10/01/the-2026-new-york-governors-race-where-jonathan-makeley-bruce-blakeman-kathy-hochul-and-jean-anglade-stand/Fetched: issuePositions
New York Prohibition Party campaign page
https://newyorkprohibition.wixsite.com/new-york-prohibition/makeley-for-governorFetched: issuePositions
Third Party Watch interview
https://sites.google.com/view/thirdpartywatch/secret/interview-with-jonathan-makeley-prohibition-candidate-for-146th-assembly-dFetched: issuePositions