On Tuesday, Nov. 5 the United States House of Representatives District N.Y.-22 swung blue with State Senator John Mannion coming out ahead of incumbent first-year Representative Brandon Williams. Williams won the district by a narrow margin of less than 3,000 votes in 2022, but due to redistricting that occurred earlier this year, New York State’s 22nd Congressional District looked better for Democrats than in past years coming into the 2024 election cycle.
Mannion had 54.1% of the vote to Williams’ 45.9% and declared victory, accepting a concession call from Williams during his speech on the night of Nov. 5.
“There we go,” Mannion said after ending his phone call with Williams. “Campaigns can be challenging, certainly this one was. But, that was Representative Williams, he was very gracious, […] he just conceded. I thank him, I thank him for handling this situation the way that he did, I certainly thank him for his service to his country and I thank him for his service to N.Y.-22 and that should be commended.”
N.Y.-22 consists of Onondaga County, Madison Country — where the town of Hamilton and Colgate University are located — and parts of Cayuga County, Cortland County and Oneida County. The district also encompasses many colleges and universities, including Syracuse University, SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Hamilton College and Utica University. The presence of these institutions makes the work of student organizers and volunteers all the more important to the success of candidates in the district.
The Colgate College Democrats, a student-run organization, have been canvassing for Mannion, along with candidate for N.Y. State Assembly District 121 Vicki Davis and candidate for N.Y. State Senate James Meyers, both of whom lost their races to Republican opponents. In November 2023, Co-Presidents LJ Coady and Ethan Halbreich brought Mannion to Colgate’s campus to speak about politics in the Colgate region. They also collaborated with other students to set up phone-banks and canvass launches for Mannion. Halbreich spoke on the effect canvassing and organizing can have on getting out the vote.
“It was an honor to be able to go out into the community and to work with local leaders and campaign staff. Canvassing allows you to meet local people with local concerns and it really opens your eyes to the perspectives of the people in Hamilton,” Halbreich said.
Junior Desiree Rigaud, a college organizing fellow with the New York State Democratic Party coordinates with college students throughout the state on behalf of the party and has been working with them since October 2023. Rigaud spoke on how she worked to get voters and students engaged throughout this cycle. She and other volunteers and organizers across the district like the Colgate College Democrats knocked on over 100k doors and made calls.
“Campus organizing involved working closely with organizations on campus like the Colgate Democrats to host phone banks, voter registration, and understand students’ reasons for voting. Direct voter contact was centered around calling voters and knocking on doors to garner support for the Democratic slate, chase absentee ballots and encourage people to get out and vote and offer rides to the polls,” Rigaud said. “The student voice is incredibly strong in Hamilton, so it was important to utilize that to our advantage in such a contentious election.”
Rigaud spoke on the importance of the N.Y.-22 district and what Mannion’s win race meant to her and other organizers.
“The strength and commitment of our volunteers, organizers, and most importantly the students in this district is reflected by this incredible win. It is exciting to me to see the influence that students have in making sure that we elect someone who has our interest in mind and will listen to our voices,” Rigaud said.
Halbreich echoed the sentiment and also highlighted how important the win was to volunteers.
“We are incredibly proud of the work we did along with the N.Y. Dems to elect John Mannion. Having the results to back up our efforts is satisfying and shows that we can make a difference even with small acts like phone banking or passing out flyers,” Halbreich said.
In the greater scheme of the 2024 election, there are 14 house races remaining to be called as of Nov. 12 with Democrats currently leading in seven. Democrats have flipped six, including N.Y.-22, with Republicans flipping seven and only needing to win three more for control over the presidency, the Senate and the House come January 2025.
For the New York State Democratic Party, both the State Senate majority and the State Assembly majority were secured. The State Senate has lost their supermajority, where Democrats would have to hold 42 out of 63 seats, due to a loss in a Brooklyn District 17 race. The fate of Mannion’s newly vacant seat in District 50 remains to be seen. Democrats must wait on a recount, with their candidate Chris Ryan at a 500 vote lead as of Nov. 12. In the presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris won New York with 55.8% of the vote to President-elect Donald Trump’s 44.2%. This is a shift from President Joe Biden’s win of 61% to Trump’s 38% in 2020.
