CHICAGO – As Democrats gathered in Chicago this week to officially elect their presidential candidate, New York party officials repeatedly turned their attention to the race for the 22nd Congressional District.
The district was the talk of the New York delegation, whose members emphasized its importance to the majority in the House of Representatives. But its central player, John Mannion, was watching events from his home turf in Central New York.
Mannion is challenging Republican incumbent Brandon Williams for the seat in November.
Mannion said that while the decision not to attend the convention was “quite difficult,” he felt it was necessary to stay with his potential voters this week to advance his campaign.
“I only have 74 days until Election Day and I need to reach as many voters as possible. And those voters are here in New York and the Mohawk Valley. They’re not in Chicago,” he said in a phone interview Thursday. “While I really appreciate and have seen the energetic and forward-looking message, there’s really still work to be done here and every one of these days is critical.”
The race for the NY-22 seat will be crucial for both parties. Democrats need to win at least four seats to secure a majority in the House of Representatives.
Syracuse City Councilman Jimmy Monto, 5th District, is a delegate to the convention representing Central New York. Monto said he was inspired by the momentum building in the congressional district leading up to the convention.
“What we’re seeing in NY-22, especially in the last four to five weeks, is tremendous energy from voters and volunteers. People want to get out there and make a difference. Not just at the top of the ballot with Kamala Harris, but in NY-22,” Monto said. “We’re suddenly seeing volunteers really step up and mobilize.”
Monto said he is not concerned that Mannion did not attend the DNC this week. He believes his presence is more important in the district because his potential voters live primarily in Central New York, not Chicago.
Monto pointed out that not even Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris was present at the convention for the entire program.
“The best use of John Manion’s time is to talk to voters… Not many of his voters are in this room or at the United Center. They’re at home in New York 22, and I’m glad he’s there doing what he’s doing,” Monto said. “Look at Kamala Harris, our vice president. She wasn’t sitting in the United Center all four days… She’s at rallies in other states where she needs to get voters to the polls. She’s been in the swing states while we’re here nominating her.”
Former Onondaga County Democratic Committee Chair and NY-22 Delegate Diane Dwire said that to win the congressional election and gain a majority in the House, she and other delegates should try to appeal to undecided voters at nonpartisan events.
“There is a large group of people who are undecided. We call them the ‘persuadables.’ I want to bring them to our side. And that’s where I’m going,” Dwire said. “They need to go to all the districts, be visible and attend big events. One of the mistakes we often make is going to a lot of Democratic events. We don’t need to go to them.”
Williams was criticised during his first campaign for not living in the constituency (the constituency boundaries were redrawn to include Williams’ home). Constituency delegate Lisa Sacco said she found it “disheartening” to have a representative who seemed so far removed from the constituency.
“I think John needs to keep doing what he’s doing… He’s been everywhere, showing voters that he’s there for them, and in that regard, I feel like we’ve never seen Congressman Williams at this level,” she said.
Peggy Chase, a delegate and former Onondaga County legislator, said that while she is optimistic that Mannion will become the next congressman, there is still work to be done.
“I think he has a good chance, but we can’t take anything for granted because that’s what we have Brandon Williams for… We can’t stop. As Tim Walz says, ‘We can sleep when we’re dead.’ We have to keep going.”
Anna Ginelli is a senior journalism student at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School. She is part of a group of student journalists covering the DNC for syracuse.com and The Post-Standard.
