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Michael Novakhov

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Misha Novakhov
Novakhov speaking in 2026
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 45th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2023
Preceded bySteven Cymbrowitz
Personal details
Born (1976-04-13) April 13, 1976 (age 50)
Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union (now Azerbaijan)
PartyRepublican/ Conservative[1]
EducationMoscow State University Faculty of Journalism
Profession
  • Politician
  • radio station founder and radio host
Signature
WebsiteState Assembly website

Michael "Misha" Novakhov (Ukrainian: Михайло Міша Новахов, romanization: Mykhaylo Misha Novakhov; born April 13, 1976) is an American radio station founder and host, and politician. He has served as a member of the New York State Assembly from the 45th district since January 1, 2023. The Assembly District includes portions of Brighton Beach, Gravesend, Manhattan Beach, Midwood, and Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, New York. He has run on the Republican Party/ Conservative Party lines.

Prior to being elected, he worked as a host on the Russian-language radio station Freedom FM, which he co-founded. In July 2026, Novakhov called on the United States Department of Justice to open a civil rights investigation into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for fostering a dangerous climate for minority communities in the city.

Personal life

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Novakhov was born on April 13, 1976, in Baku, Azerbaijan, in the former USSR, and is Jewish; he refers to himself as a "secular Jew".[2][3][4][5][1] His hometown is Moscow, and he studied at Moscow State University Faculty of Journalism.[3] His Soviet passport showed Baku as his place of birth, and "Ukrainian" as his nationality, indicating that he has at least one ethnic Ukrainian parent.[6][7][8] He has described how he was "born under Communist rule within the former USSR" and that "his father was fortunate enough to escape along with Michael and the rest of his family to America."[9][5]

He is a long-time community advocate and resident of Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn, New York City.[10][11][12]

Career

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Radio

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Novakhov has worked in the radio business since 2003.[9][5] In 2019, he co-founded "Freedom FM", a Russian-language radio station in Brooklyn on which he served as a host.[13][14][15][5] The radio station became the most listened-to Russian-language radio station in the U.S.[5]

New York State Assembly

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2022–24

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In 2022,Novakhov ran for the New York State Assembly to represent the 45th district, on the Republican Party and Conservative Party lines.[1] The Assembly District includes portions of Brighton Beach, Gravesend, Manhattan Beach, Midwood, and Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, New York.[5]

In the New York State Assembly 2022 election, Novakhov defeated 21-year incumbent Democratic assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz by 19 percentage points, 59.7% to 40.2%. He assumed office on January 1, 2023.[16][17][1]

In 2023, Novakhov introduced a bill which, had it passed, would have prohibited public smoking of marijuana unless local government approved of it, saying that if tobacco smoke is prohibited in certain areas then cannabis should be as well, noting "the nuisance created by the smoke and the potential health hazards of second-hand smoke." His proposed bill would have largely treated marijuana smoking like tobacco smoking, which is banned in public places in New York City.[18][19] The bill was referred to the Committee on Economic Development, where it remained without moving to a floor vote.[20]

2024–present

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Novakhov in 2026

In the 2024 New York State Assembly election, endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business, Novakhov defeated Democratic challenger Joey Cohen-Saban by 50.2% to 49.4%.[11][1][21] His current term runs through January 1, 2027.[1]

His committee assignments in the NY State Assembly in 2025–26 consist of the Aging Committee, Cities Committee, Housing Committee, Governmental Operations Committee, and Small Business Committee.[1]

In May 2026, he relaunched his “Not on Our Dollar” bill, which proposes “Ending New York funding of Hamas violence.”[4] That same month, speaking of the New York City Mayor, Novakhov said

Zohran Mamdani represents everything that is going wrong in New York City. He represents the radical, antisemitic, anti-police, anti-American movement that has taken over today’s Democratic Party.... This is no longer the party of working people. This is a party controlled by radical activists, communist ideologists … agitators and people who make excuses for hatred and terrorism when Jews are the targets....[22]

In July 2026, Novakhov announced after two stabbing attacks, including one of a Jewish man outside a synagogue, by a man allegedly shouting “Allahu Akbar” in New York City that he was formally calling on the United States Department of Justice to open a civil rights investigation into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for fostering a dangerous climate for minority communities in the city.[23][24]

In November 2026, Novakhov will again face Democratic challenger Joey Cohen-Saban, who this time is also running on the Fight Anti-Semitism Party line, in the 2026 New York State Assembly general election.[1] Novakhov has been endorsed by the New York Young Republican Club.[25]

Political positions

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Novakhov's political positions include a desire to support public safety by supporting law enforcement and combating rising crime (in particular against the Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Jewish communities), to make health care and housing more affordable, to support small businesses, and to protect the quality of life for New Yorkers.[5][11] Novakhov is "a proud Zionist."[4][26] He is staunchly pro-Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine war.[27]

Electoral history

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2022 New York State Assembly election, District 45[28]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michael Novakhov 12,936
Conservative Michael Novakhov 821
Total Michael Novakhov 13,757 59.7
Democratic Steven Cymbrowitz 8,451
Independence Steven Cymbrowitz 807
Total Steven Cymbrowitz 9,258 40.2
Write-in 16 0.1
Total votes 23,031 100.0
Republican gain from Democratic

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Michael Novakhov," Ballotpedia.
  2. ↑ Gronich, Marc (December 7, 2022). "State Election Results Still Not Final". Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "New York State Assemblymember Misha Novakhov," legistorm.
  4. 1 2 3 "Jewish legislator counters ‘Not on Our Dime’ act," JTA, May 26, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Michael Novakhov - Assembly District 45 | New York State Assembly". www.assembly.state.ny.us. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Михаил Новахов". Freedom FM 104.7 FM New York (in Russian). Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Why Are Jews from the Former Soviet Union Often Called Russians? | Jewish Federation of the Berkshires". www.jewishberkshires.org. Retrieved January 2, 2023. Every Soviet-era passport had a line that read "Nationality." This is how things worked: When a person in the Soviet Union reached the age of 16, they had to choose a nationality based on their parents' nationalities. If the young person's father and mother had same nationality, that would be their nationality. If their parents' nationalities were different, a young person could choose one: for example, Russian, Moldovan, Armenian, Jewish, and so forth. This nationality was written in your passport in the 5th position (Пятый пункт in Russian).
  8. ↑ Kogan, Yefim. "Why Jews from the Former Soviet Union Often Called Russians?" (PDF). JewishGen. After immigrating to the United States, we have discovered that the term Nationality has a different meaning here if compared to what we knew in the Soviet Union. There nationalities were written in passports and they meant what we call in the US – Ethnicity. When a person reached 16 year, he or she could choose Nationality from Nationalities of their parents. If father and mother had same Nationality, that would be Nationality of a young person. Nationality was Russian, Moldovan, Armenian, Jewish, etc. Nationality was written in your passport in the 5th paragraph (Пятый пункт-Russian).
  9. 1 2 "HOME". Michael for Assembly. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  10. ↑ "The new state lawmakers in the 2023 legislative session". City & State NY. December 19, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 "Razor-thin margin: Republican incumbent Michael Novakhov leads Joey Cohen-Saban in tight race for 45th Assembly District," Brooklyn Paper, November 6, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Power Players in the 2022 Elections," PoliticsNY,.
  13. ↑ Campanile, Carl; Hogan, Bernadette (November 11, 2022). "Republicans wipe out moderate Democrats in NY red surge". Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  14. ↑ Borchardt, Reuvain (November 29, 2022). "A Red Pocket Grows in Brooklyn - Hamodia.com". Hamodia. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Russian radio station in NYC gets buzz from unique classified ad show". News 12 - Brooklyn. July 19, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Winners, losers, and those still in limbo: Breaking down the results of the midterm election in Brooklyn," Brooklyn Paper, November 9, 2022.
  17. ↑ Scarr, Cindy (November 9, 2022). "No Red Wave, but Definitely a Black One". Mishpacha Magazine. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  18. ↑ Whittaker, John. "Bill to limit public marijuana smoking faces uphill battle". The New York Observer. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  19. ↑ Reisman, Nick. "New York Republicans want to ban cannabis use in public". NY1. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  20. ↑ "A07612. " assembly.state.ny.us.
  21. ↑ "NFIB NY PAC Announces Endorsements for State Legislature ," NFIB, September 13, 2024.
  22. ↑ "GOP candidates have their strategy for November: ‘Stop Zohran Mamdani,’" City & State, May 19, 2026.
  23. ↑ "NY State Assembly member calls for Justice Dept investigation of Mamdani at rally after Upper West Side stabbing", Cleveland Jewish News, July 27, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Mamdani in the Crosshairs: DOJ Complaint Targets NY Mayor Over Rising Antisemitism ," JFeed, July 30, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Joint Endorsement: Assemblyman Michael Novakhov (AD-45) & Assemblyman Lester Chang (AD-49) ", New York Republican Club, February 13, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Michael Novakhov," x.com.
  27. ↑ "‘A fight for freedom everywhere’: Brighton Beach gala highlights Brooklyn’s solidarity with Ukraine," Brooklyn Paper, March 4, 2025.
  28. ↑ "General Election 2022 - Member of the Assembly - 45th Assembly District" (PDF). New York City Board of Elections. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
[edit]
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