The race for the Democratic nomination in the 24th Congressional District is ramping up. The three hopefuls met voters at a forum in Manlius last night, as they look for party support.
A mostly older crowd that packed a room at the Manlius Library applauded when party officials noted there will be a choice for Democrats when it comes to deciding who should face freshman GOP Rep. John Katko in November.
And while the trio agreed on decidedly Democratic issues like income inequality, they offered differences in style and background.
There’s 38-year old Colleen Deacon, a single mother who’s worked in the offices of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and former Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll.
“I’m running for Congress because I’ve seen up close and personal about how the issues in front of congress affect real people and real people’s lives, and I want to be a real voice for the people of central New York,” said Deacon. "I went through a time when I didn’t have health care or paid leave, so I had to go on food stamps and WIC to keep us healthy. Having that experience, I think it’s not a unique experience, but it’s not an experience represented in Congress.”
Then there’s 69-year old Eric Kingson, a Syracuse University professor, who's also been a loud voice nationally in the discussion of the future of Social Security.
"I’m running because I’m angry. I’m angry that we’re losing so much in everyday life. We’re seeing economic security undermined by a politics and economic system that’s providing winners who are well off, while the rest of us are treading water or losing ground,” said Kingson. "I’ve spent my life in public service, not as an elected official, but as someone who’s worked beginning with civil rights, through my teaching and through serving as staff on two presidential commissions on social security.”
And rounding out the group is 52-year old Steve Williams, a veteran and an attorney in a Syracuse law firm.
"I’m running because we’ve been bleeding jobs in central New York for decades. That’s not by accident. That’s because of policies coming out of D.C. And I want to go to D.C. and fight against those kinds of policies and bring jobs back to central New York," said Williams. “I own a law firm, with my partners, and it’s a small business. We have to make payroll, we have to get people health insurance, we have to get them 401k programs. And no other candidate in this race can say they’ve done this.”
Democratic Party Committees in each of the four counties included in the 24th Congressional District each will be meeting in the coming months to endorse a candidate. Ultimately though the decision appears like it will be in the hands of voters, as both Kingson and Williams say they’ll definitely run in a June primary, if they don’t win committee support. Deacon says if she doesn’t get party endorsements, she’ll decide at that time whether to run in the primary.
The 24th District includes all of Onondaga, Cayuga, Wayne Counties, and part of Oswego County.
