John T. McDonald III has spent more than a quarter-century as an elected official in the Capital Region without ever losing an election, first as mayor of his hometown of Cohoes and, since 2013, as the Democratic Assemblyman for the 108th District.
A practicing pharmacist who still runs his family’s century-old drugstore, McDonald has built a reputation in Albany as a health care policy specialist. So, who is John McDonald, and what is he pursuing heading into his seventh Assembly term?
Quick Facts
- Party
- Democratic
- Hometown
- Cohoes, N.Y.
- Current Position
- New York State Assemblymember, 108th District
- Background
- Pharmacist and owner, Marra's Pharmacy; former Mayor of Cohoes (1999-2012)
- In Office Since
- 2013 (State Assembly)
- Up for Reelection
- November 2026
EARLY LIFE AND THE FAMILY PHARMACY
A lifelong resident of Cohoes, McDonald was born in the city in 1962 and is a graduate of Keveny Memorial Academy. He went on to the Albany College of Pharmacy, where he earned a B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1985 and was later awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humanities by the school.
McDonald sworn into office for his 2017 Assembly term. (NYS Assembly)
After graduating, McDonald went to work at Marra’s Pharmacy, a family business his grandfather opened in Cohoes in 1931. As its president, he has grown the independent drugstore, now marketed as celebrating more than 90 years in business, into one of the larger independent pharmacy operations in the Capital Region.
ENTERING POLITICS: MAYOR OF COHOES
McDonald was elected Mayor of Cohoes and served in that role from 1999 to 2012. During his tenure he pursued an economic-development agenda built around downtown revitalization, adaptive reuse of historic buildings and Hudson and Mohawk riverfront development, while also serving as president of the statewide New York Conference of Mayors.
McDonald speaks at the ribbon cutting for Phase I of the Ida Yarbrough Homes Redevelopment Project in Albany. (NYS Assembly)
Under his leadership, the city brought in 2,000 new units of housing and saw its population grow for the first time since 1930, alongside improvements to the Cohoes Falls that turned it into a regional tourist attraction that draws visitors from across the Capital Region.
MOVING TO THE STATE ASSEMBLY
In 2012, McDonald ran for a newly created Assembly seat, the 108th District, covering parts of Albany, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties. He defeated Carolyn McLaughlin, 55 percent to 45 percent, in the Democratic primary, then won the general election with 76 percent of the vote.
He has been reelected in every cycle since, generally by lopsided margins. In both 2022 and 2024 he ran with no Republican opponent, winning better than 98 percent of the vote each time in a district that has grown reliably Democratic over his tenure.
JOHN McDONALD’S VOTE SHARE BY ELECTION
His closest recent test came from within his own party. In the 2020 Democratic primary, McDonald defeated Sam Fein, a progressive Albany County legislator, 58 percent to 41 percent, after a campaign in which Fein pushed for more aggressive pandemic relief and police reform.
A HEALTH CARE AND LOCAL-GOVERNMENT SPECIALIST
Committee Leadership
In the Assembly, McDonald chairs the Governmental Operations Committee and sits on the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Health, Higher Education and Ways and Means committees. He has said his focus is on local government, health care and small business, reflecting both his pharmacy background and his years running a city hall.
McDonald has been an active voice on environmental issues affecting his district as well, including a multi-year push for state legislation to ban foam burning at the Norlite hazardous-waste incinerator in Cohoes, a fight that drew protesters to the state Capitol during his 2020 reelection campaign.
McDonald speaks at a press conference on the heroin and opioid crisis. (NYS Assembly)
Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform
Drawing on his own experience as an independent pharmacist, McDonald has repeatedly sponsored legislation regulating pharmacy benefit managers, the industry middlemen that negotiate drug prices between insurers and pharmacies. A 2021 bill he backed, requiring PBM licensure and oversight by the state, was signed into law by Governor Hochul.
McDonald’s current effort, the Patient Access to Pharmacy Act, would require PBMs to reimburse pharmacies at no less than the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost plus a minimum dispensing fee. The Senate passed the bill on May 28, 2026, and the Assembly followed on June 5, 2026.
As of a September 8, 2026 interview and the Assembly’s own bill tracker, the measure has passed both houses but had not yet been formally delivered to Governor Hochul’s desk. Under New York’s constitution, the sign-or-veto countdown does not start until a bill is transmitted.
Lawmakers routinely hold bills passed near the end of session for months before sending them to the governor, so passage in June does not mean the bill has become law. Supporters say the change would address chronic underpayment of independent pharmacies; critics, including some insurers, warn it could raise costs for patients.
LOOKING AHEAD
McDonald is seeking a seventh full Assembly term in November 2026, facing Republican challenger Joe Adamo III, who has centered his campaign on affordability, saying too many neighbors feel they have to leave New York to build a good life.
McDonald has not lost a general election since entering elected office in 1999, and continues to press his health care agenda in Albany while awaiting word on whether the Patient Access to Pharmacy Act will be transmitted to the governor and ultimately become law.
Readers can find PagPol’s profiles of two of his fellow Rensselaer County officials, County Executive Steve McLaughlin and state Senator Jake Ashby. Additionally, PagPol will be including new information in our Rensselaer newsletter (below).
