You’ve probably heard the name Daniel M. Donovan Jr. during a heated dinner table debate about New York politics or maybe you saw it scrolling through a list of former Congressmen. It’s a name that carries a lot of weight, especially if you live anywhere near the Verrazzano Bridge. To some, he was the face of Staten Island’s conservative backbone for over a decade. To others, he’s forever linked to one of the most controversial legal moments in modern American history.
Honestly, trying to pin Dan Donovan down to just one thing is basically impossible. He wasn’t just a politician; he was a prosecutor who climbed the ranks of the New York legal system long before he ever stepped foot in the U.S. House of Representatives. Whether you loved his policies or protested his decisions, you can’t argue that he didn't leave a massive footprint on the city.
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The Staten Island DA Years
Before he was "Congressman Donovan," he was simply the District Attorney for Richmond County. He took office in 2004, and let’s be real, Staten Island is a unique beast. It’s the "forgotten borough," often feeling more like a small suburban town than a part of the massive NYC machine. Donovan played into that. He focused hard on things that hit home for Islanders: drug trafficking, violent crime, and protecting seniors.
He was good at it, too. At least, the voters thought so. He kept winning re-election. People liked his "law and order" vibe. But then came 2014. Everything changed.
The Eric Garner case.
If you weren’t following the news back then, Eric Garner died after being put in a chokehold by an NYPD officer. The whole thing was caught on video. Donovan, as the DA, was the one who had to present the case to a grand jury. When that grand jury decided not to indict the officer, the world exploded. Protests everywhere. Donovan was suddenly the most talked-about man in the country, and not in a way most people want.
He defended the process, of course. He talked about how the grand jury is a secret, independent body. But for many, that moment became his legacy. It was a polarizing, painful chapter for the city.
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Moving to the Big Stage in D.C.
You’d think a controversy like that would end a political career, right? Not for Dan Donovan. In 2015, a special election popped up for New York’s 11th Congressional District after Michael Grimm resigned. Donovan jumped in and won comfortably.
He wasn't your typical "firebrand" Republican either. He was actually ranked as one of the most bipartisan members of the House. He worked on things like:
- The Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Act.
- Hurricane Sandy relief (which was a huge deal for his constituents).
- Transportation funding for the Staten Island Ferry.
He was a "Main Street" Republican. He tried to balance being a loyal GOP member while representing a district that, while conservative for New York, still has plenty of moderate and Democratic voters. He eventually lost his seat in 2018 to Max Rose during that big blue wave, but he didn't just disappear into the sunset.
Where is Daniel M. Donovan Jr. Now?
So, what does a former Congressman and DA do after the dust settles? Most go into high-end consulting, and Donovan followed that path for a while, working with firms like K2 Intelligence. But lately, he’s pivoted into something a bit more futuristic: energy.
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As of late 2024 and heading into 2026, Donovan has been serving as the Chairman of the Executive Advisory Board for Market Intelligence at NANO Nuclear Energy. It’s a bit of a shift, right? Moving from the courtroom to nuclear tech. But he’s leaning into the "national security" angle of energy resilience. He basically uses his deep connections in D.C. and his understanding of homeland security to help navigate the regulatory mess of getting new energy tech off the ground.
He’s still a Staten Island guy at heart, though. You’ll still see him involved in local discussions, even if he isn't the one holding the gavel or the microphone anymore.
Practical Takeaways from Donovan’s Career
If you’re looking to understand the current political landscape, studying Donovan’s trajectory is actually pretty useful. Here is what we can learn:
- Local trust is hard to break. Despite national outcry over the Garner case, his local base stayed loyal because they felt he understood their specific "island" concerns.
- Bipartisanship is a double-edged sword. Being a moderate helped him pass bills, but it also made him vulnerable when the national parties started moving toward the extremes.
- Post-politics is about "Specialized Influence." If you look at his current role at NANO Nuclear, it’s clear that former lawmakers aren't just paid for their "names"—they are paid because they know exactly how the gears of the federal government turn.
If you want to track what he’s up to today, your best bet is following industry news in the energy and national security sectors. He’s less of a "social media politician" and more of a "behind-the-scenes" advisor these days. Keep an eye on the 11th District’s upcoming elections too; the "Donovan style" of moderate Republicanism is still something local candidates try to emulate to capture that specific Staten Island swing vote.