An early start to the race for Congress for New York’s 22nd District seat, is rated a toss-up by the national Cook Political report. A Manlius Town Councilor is the first Democrat to make an announcement to run in a race for a seat currently held by a freshman Republican.
35-year-old Katelyn Kriesel said she has been thinking about running for Congress for years. The decision to run solidified after Democrat Francis Conole lost the November election for New York’s 22nd Congressional District.
"When he didn’t win, I realized that was my opportunity to throw my hat in," Kriesel said.
Kriesel has been a member of the Manlius Town Council since 2019. She owns a financial advisory firm and may be best known in the community in recent years as a Climate Action Advocate. But politics and running for office is something she said she has been passionate about since she was in high school.
"It can certainly seem like a jump from being a town councilor to being a Congresswoman," Kriesel said. "But if you look at my track record all these years, and all the things I’ve been working on with climate action, social justice, economic development, this is what I’ve been working toward."
Voters will not get a crack at the race until June 2024 if there is a Democratic primary, then the general election in November. But, Kriesel said it is important to get her name out early. She has lived in the Syracuse area her whole life, but admits she needs to get to know other parts of the newly drawn 22nd district which includes Oneida, Madison and parts of Oswego County.
"By getting going this early, that gives us the opportunity to talk to them, hear from then add start to build relationships with them as we move forward with the campaign," Kriesel said.
A four-way primary determined the Democratic candidate in 2022. Kriesel expects that could be the case again. She said she is ready for a race that some estimate could cost upwards of $5 million. With the 22nd seat being one of a handful of toss-up congressional districts in the country, it may create heavy involvement from national political organizations.
"I don’t expect it to be easy," Kriesel said. "There will be days when this will be really hard. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it."
Republican Brandon Williams currently holds the 22nd district seat, a newcomer to politics who won the redistricted seat in November.
