New York's newest 22nd Congressional District Representative John Mannion is gearing up to take office in the new year.
Mannion was joined by dozens of his family members, friends, and colleagues at the Syracuse Marriott Downtown on Friday for a ceremonial swearing-in. Mannion is preparing to take office in January. The two-term state senator said he's prepared for the next steps as a federal representative.
"It comes down to checks and balances, which is, you know, the balance is we have a lot of shared interest," Mannion said. "Certainly moving this forward, moving this country forward and moving this region forward. So there's going to be things that are good for central New York that make sense. And they're going to be things that are bad. The balances we work together. The check is when it's bad for us, when it's bad for the country, when it's bad for the long-term future. That's when we have to stand up and say what we need to."
Mannion defeated Republican incumbent candidate Brandon Williams to flip the 22nd district seat blue. Mannion said his role as a Democrat in the district is still to prioritize the needs of the district from all angles.
"I understand this place. I understand central New York," Mannion said. "We're a down-the-middle district. We're not at the edges of the political spectrum. So you've got to lead from the middle and lead from the front and represent everybody."
Mannion's two-year term begins in a swearing-in ceremony on January 3.
