Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Republican Brandon Williams will take on Democrat Francis Conole in the Nov. 8 general election to represent New York’s 22nd Congressional District after the two won their respective primary elections on Tuesday night.

The winner of the general election will replace retiring Rep. John Katko (R-NY). According to FiveThirtyEight, the newly formed district currently favors Democrats by 2%.

As of 10:00 a.m. on Aug. 24, Williams earned 57.91% of votes cast in the Republican primary, beating out Steven Wells who earned 41.33% of the vote.

Conole had a smaller margin of victory as of 10:00 a.m, holding a lead of just under 4% over second-place Sarah Klee Hood. Sam Roberts was in third with 13.14% and Chol Majok came in fourth for the Democrats with 11.65%.

The Associated Press called the election for Williams at 10:26 p.m. Syracuse.com then called the race for Conole at 10:58 p.m.

Following New York state’s redistricting process, Syracuse moved from New York’s 24th Congressional District into the 22nd. The newly formed district goes as far east as Utica and encompasses the entirety of Onondaga County. Despite currently being held by a Republican, President Joe Biden carried what will become NY-22 by 8 points in the 2020 election, according to Politico.

The Protecting Our Future Political Action Committee, which is primarily funded by cryptocurrency billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, backed Conole throughout the election. Bankman-Fried, the CEO of FTX, also gave $2,900 to Conole’s campaign, according to Federal Election Commission data.

Additionally, FEC data showed Conole received $2,900 for his primary campaign from Adam Weitsman and another $2,900 from Kim Weitsman. Adam also donated $2,900 to Conole’s general election fund.

State Senator Pamela Hunter’s campaign donated $1,000 to Conole’s campaign as well, and Syracuse Common Councilor Patrick J. Hogan donated $1,100.

Former Syracuse Police Department Chief Kenton Buckner, who resigned from the position on April 22, donated $250 to Syracuse Common Councilor Chol Majok’s campaign.

Conole vastly outspent any other candidate on either side of the political aisle in the primary, spending $765,843.25 as of Aug. 3 according to FEC data. Conole also gave $23,851.62 to his own campaign.

Conole is a veteran of the Iraq War and a commander in the U.S. Navy Reserves as well as a policy advisor in the Pentagon. He lost to Dana Balter in the 2020 Democratic congressional primary.

Williams, a tech entrepreneur originally from California, earned endorsements from the Conservative Parties of New York state, Onondaga County, Oneida County and Madison County. He owns a farm in Cayuga County and is a U.S. Navy veteran.

During the campaign, Wells attacked Williams over his lack of voting history in the area. According to auburnpub.com, Williams did not register to vote in Cayuga County until 2011 and voted for Donald Trump in California during the 2016 election.

Williams described himself as pro-life and a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights. He also has called himself a political outsider who will fight for the interests of small businesses if elected.

Despite only raising $214,202.28 for his campaign compared to Wells’ $690,838.13, Williams defeated the Republican establishment’s preferred candidate.

Williams took out a $2,915.81 loan for his campaign in addition to receiving donations from groups such as the Citizens United Political Victory Fund, according to FEC data as of Aug. 3.

This post will be updated with additional reporting.

Published on August 23, 2022 at 10:50 pm

Contact Danny: ddamron@syr.edu | @dannyamron_