Patrick R. Manning (born June 9, 1965) is a former New York State Assemblyman who served in the Assembly from 1994 to 2006.[1]
Manning graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Vassar College in 1986.[2] At Vassar, he protested against apartheid in South Africa.[3]
In 1991, Manning won a seat on the Dutchess County Legislature for the 20th District.[4] He served in the Assembly from 1994 to 2006, and was, at the time, "the youngest state assemblyman ever elected."[5]
In late 2005, Manning began a gubernatorial campaign, finding support initially from the New York Conservative Party. Manning's main opponents for the Republican nomination for governor were John Faso, the eventual nominee, who was formerly New York Assembly Minority Leader and later member of Congress, and William Weld, the former governor of Massachusetts.
In 2006, Manning decided instead to seek re-election to his Assembly seat, but with primary challengers.[6] In the Republican primary election on September 12, 2006, Manning was defeated by then Tivoli Mayor and Dutchess County legislator Marcus Molinaro. Manning held a lead in the Columbia County portion of the district, but this was not enough to overcome Molinaro's lead in the Dutchess segment. Reflecting on the loss, Manning noted “I was ready to retire, but I didn’t realize it.”[7]
After leaving the Assembly, Manning became the executive director of a housing non-profit,[8] co-owner of a farm, and board member of an agricultural cooperative.[9] Manning attempted a return to the New York State Assembly in 2012, but lost in the primary to Kiernan Lalor.
In 2023, Manning became president of Hudson Valley Vipers,[10] a new minor-league hockey team in Poughkeepsie, that plays its home games at the McCann Ice Arena in the Majed J. Nesheiwat Convention Center .[11] Earlier in his career, Manning "was instrumental in attracting the Hudson Valley Renegades to Dutchess County."[11]