John Mannion wins backing of Onondaga County Democrats in race for Congress

Onondaga County Democratic leaders on Thursday night overwhelmingly voted for State Sen. John Mannion to serve as the party’s candidate for Congress in the November election against Rep. Brandon Williams.

Mannion, 55, of Geddes, won the vote over two other Democrats at the designating meeting of the Onondaga County Democratic Committee in Syracuse.

Mannion won 73.2% of the weighted vote, compared to 23.6% for DeWitt Town Councilor Sarah Klee Hood and 3.2% who voted for Utica University professor Clemmie Harris, according to Max Ruckdeschel, the party’s chair.

A fourth Democrat in the race, Marine veteran Jake Addington of Oneida County, did not qualify to be considered in the designation vote.

After the vote, Mannion immediately set his sights on Williams, the first-term Republican who represents the 22nd Congressional District.

“Central New York and the Mohawk Valley deserve a proven fighter in Washington who puts people over politics, and has a strong legislative record of delivering results, not empty rhetoric,” Mannion said in a statement.

“We need a member of Congress who will fight to protect the right to organize, support our public schools, push back against a national abortion ban, and bring jobs back to our region,” he said.

Mannion’s campaign picked up momentum in recent weeks as he won endorsements from 21 labor unions – including six of the nation’s largest – and the endorsements of top elected Democrats in Central New York.

The three Democrats who lost the designation said they’re not going to give up on their bid to win the Democratic nomination.

Klee Hood, Harris and Addington said they would take their campaigns to Democratic voters and attempt to force a primary election against Mannion.

Before the vote, Klee Hood cautioned against reading too much into the picks of party leaders. In 2022, she lost the Onondaga County Democratic Committee’s designation to Francis Conole but made it onto the ballot in a four-person primary election.

In that election, Klee Hood fell short of Conole by about 1,200 votes (10,971-9,790).

This year’s primary election is due to be held June 25, but could be pushed back – as it was in 2022 – if a court-ordered redrawing of congressional district maps is not done in time.

Mannion will benefit in any primary campaign by having access to the resources of the Onondaga County Democratic Committee and its more than 500 committee members.

Those members typically pass nominating petitions needed to help candidates secure a ballot spot. Its volunteers also work for the designated candidate to help boost voter turnout.

Democratic candidates will need a minimum of 1,250 valid petition signatures from party members in the 22nd Congressional District to make it onto the primary ballot.

The district spans all of Onondaga, Madison and Oneida counties, and the southeastern tip of Oswego County.

The Onondaga County Democratic Committee’s designation is significant because it represents about 70% of the registered Democratic voters in the 22md District.

The Oneida County Democratic Committee and the Madison County Democratic Committee plan to meet separately Feb. 15 to designate their candidates for 2024.

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