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Congressman-elect John Mannion addressed the public Wednesday morning following his victory over Republican incumbent Brandon Williams. Mannion pledged to act as a check on presidential power for central New Yorkers.

With Mannion’s win, Democrats flipped New York’s 22nd Congressional District, securing another seat as they work to earn the majority in the United States House of Representatives. Before the election, Democrats labeled NY-22 as one of its most flippable seats.

Mannion said he hopes to see President-elect Donald Trump succeed in his second term in office, though he remains wary of the incoming commander-in-chief’s policies.

“As an American, I want any president of this country to succeed because of our collective love of this country,” Mannion said. “I will be a check on the president’s worst policy ideas and any authoritarian tendencies, and I will seek balance and compromise on those areas where there can be agreement.”

Despite several local Democratic victories, Republicans won back the White House and took control of the U.S. Senate. As of midnight Wednesday, the Associated Press still hasn’t determined which party will have a majority in the House.

Mannion said a Democratic-majority in the House would provide a “good check” on the power of Trump and the Republican-controlled Senate, as well as the conservative-leaning Supreme Court.

The congressman-elect noted many of his constituents are concerned about Trump’s positions, particularly his past attempts to weaken labor unions, his unclear position on the Russia-Ukraine war and recent criticism of the federal CHIPS and Science Act — which facilitated Micron Technology’s initial $100 billion investment into central New York.

Less than two weeks before Election Day, Trump called CHIPS legislation “so bad” in an Oct. 25 interview with podcaster Joe Rogan. A CitrusTV reporter later asked Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson if his party planned to repeal the CHIPS Act, to which he responded they “probably will” — a statement Johnson later retracted.

In the state senate, Mannion supported the national bipartisan CHIPS legislation and co-sponsored New York’s Green CHIPS Program, a statewide tax incentive for environmentally-friendly semiconductor manufacturing. Mannion said protecting CHIPS became an even more significant priority in the last week of his campaign, following Trump’s and Johnson’s remarks.

“I hope that the president was just in the midst of a campaign and making statements to try to sway voters, because we cannot go back. (CHIPS) is too important. Too many people have invested too much,” Mannion said.

He also said he plans to support all the people in his district — which encompasses Onondaga County, Madison County and portions of Cayuga, Cortland and Oneida County — including those who voted for Trump. He said he chose not to attend the Onondaga County Democratic Committee’s Election Night Watch Party so he could interact with constituents of all counties in NY-22 at a separate, bipartisan event.

During his victory speech at the event, Mannion paused to take a concession call from Williams after the AP announced his win, syracuse.com reported Tuesday night. Mannion said Williams was “gracious” during the phone call and offered his support while the Congressman-elect begins his transition into the seat.

Mannion wrapped up his remarks by addressing the prospects of Trump’s upcoming second term. Throughout the conference, Mannion urged lawmakers from all parties to “push back” against legislation that doesn’t serve their districts, regardless of partisan pressures. He also called on others to reject “toxic politics,” referring to ads aired against him during his campaign.

“I hope that the president and leadership in the Senate and the House, regardless of party, do the right thing. And when they see bad policy or they see toxic rhetoric, they stand up and oppose it regardless of party,” Mannion said.

As of Wednesday night, 45 House races remain uncalled, according to The New York Times. Before Election Day, Republicans held a 222-212 seat lead in the House, meaning Democrats would need to pick up 4 seats to take control.

Published on November 7, 2024 at 12:38 am

Contact Julia: jmboehni@syr.edu