13 things about Staten Island, New York’s Peter Giunta

Peter Robert Giunta is an alumnus of Susan E. Wagner High School in Staten Island, New York, United States. The school was established in 1968.

BIOGRAPHY

Giunta is an American political activist. White he was a voting member of the executive committee of the Staten Island Republican Party, he was asked by Politics NY in 2022 what motivated him to pursue a career in politics.

“It’s two-fold– that TV show “Parks and Recreation” sparked an interest in local government but it was the people that I met through several internships who had inspired me to pursue government and, in turn, politics as a career,” Giunta replied. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. He is a resident of Great Kills, Staten Island.
2. He is a former resident of Saint Cloud, Florida, USA.
3. He was born in 1994.
4. In 2012, he graduated from Susan E. Wagner High School.
5. From 2015 to 2018, he was was a staffer for Joseph Charles “Joe” Borelli, who was a member of the New York City Council from the 51st district from 2015 to 2025.
6. From 2018 to 2025, he was the chief of staff of Michael W. Reilly Jr.
7. In 2018, he was received a Public Service Award from the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation.
8. He chaired the campaign of Marc Molinaro when the latter unsuccessfully ran for governor of New York in 2018.
9. In 2019, he was recognized by City & State, a media organization dedicated to covering New York’s local and state politics and policy.
10. In 2021, he became the 47th chair of the Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs and City & State recognized him for the second time.
11. In 2022, he was recognized by City & State and PoliticsNY, which is part of Schneps Media, a community media publisher in New York City, New York.
12. City & State recognized him for the third time in 2023 and for the fourth time 2024.
13. In 2025, he lost his job over racist messages he sent in a Telegram group chat.

TIMELINE

Giunta is the second Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs chair from Staten Island. The first one is Sean O’Sullivan, who held the position from 2001 to 2003.

2010s

• On June 21, 2012, he and 679 others graduated from Susan E. Wagner High School.
• In January 2015, he joined Borelli’s team as a digital director.
• In October 2019, City & State included him in its 40 Under 40 Rising Stars list.
• In December 2018, he left Borelli’s team and became the chief of staff of Reilly, who assumed office as a member of the New York State Assembly from the 62nd district on January 3, 2019.

2025

• On August 14, 2021, he became the 47th chair of the Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs via a unanimous vote at the organization’s biennial convention in New York.
• In November 2021, City & State included him in its Staten Island Power 100 list.
• In October 2022, City & State included him in its Staten Island Power 100 list.
• In October 2023, City & State included him in its Staten Island Power 100 list.
• In December 2024, City & State included him in its Staten Island Power 100 list.
• In June 2025, while running to lead the national Young Republicans organization, he wrote in a Telegram group chat that party mates voting against him were “going to the gas chamber”. He also wrote “I love Hitler” and advised his allies to “scream the no-no word” if they board a plane and see the pilot is a woman with skin “10 shades darker than someone from Sicily”.
• In October 2025, he was fired from his job as Reilly’s chief of staff after his racist Telegram messages months earlier were leaked by Politico.