State Sen. John Mannion defeated DeWitt Town Councilor Sarah Klee Hood in the Democratic primary last week. Next, he’ll take on Rep. Brandon Williams (R-Sennett) this fall.
Grant Reeher, a political science professor at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, said it’s a congressional seat that’s captured national interest, and the candidates are already making moves.
“We've already seen Mannion's weakness from Brandon Williams,” Reeher said. “I don't even think the election was called before Williams was tweeting about Mannion's record in Albany."
Reeher said, on the flip side, he thinks Mannion’s campaign will likely start going after what they perceive as Williams’ weaknesses.
"(Williams) hasn't been as engaged and outgoing in the public and with the media as (former Congressman) John Katko was. He's been much more out of the public eye and has been criticized for that," said Reeher.
In his Primary Day victory speech, Mannion talked about the importance of bringing positivity back into politics. But Reeher said in a high-stakes race like this, campaigns tend to go negative.
“I think that’s a nice vision for Senator Mannion. Do I think it’s going to realize itself? No,” Reeher said. “And I think Mannion will be taking his swings at Brandon Williams and his record, and Williams is already taking his swings at Mannion’s record.”
In the months to come, Reeher thinks voters will be inundated with political ads, so he has some advice on how voters can gather their own information.
"I think as much as possible they should be comparing records,” he said. “You've got two people who have legislative records to compare. They should be looking at, to the degree this is possible, evidence about constituent service responsiveness, talking to their neighbors if they've had any interactions with the offices of State Sen. Mannion or Congressman Williams. I think they should be paying close attention to the way the two of them engage the issues."
Reeher also said he hopes voters will have multiple opportunities to see the two candidates debate, to get a better look at how their positions differ on major issues.
