Rep. John Mannion wins reelection in NY-22, vowing to keep the “American dream” within reach

U.S. Rep. John Mannion was announced the winner of New York’s 22nd Congressional District on Tuesday night, maintaining his seat after being elected in 2024. 

Mannion delivered his victory speech at an election night watch party at the Palladian Hall at The Treasury, a historic event space in downtown Syracuse. 

“We here, just like in other places in the country, are kind,” Mannion said during his winning remarks. “We lift people up. We welcome people from all around this country and all around this world. We believe in opportunity. We don’t believe in cruelty; we believe in the truth, and we will continue to welcome and lift each other up here.”

Mannion’s Republican opponent Kailee Buller, a former chief of staff to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, delivered her concession speech from the GOP watch party being held at the Embassy Suites near Destiny USA. 

During his first NY-22 congressional win in 2024, Mannion defeated former Rep. Brandon Williams 52.59% to 44.57%. The district encompasses all of Onondaga and Madison counties, as well as parts of Oneida, Cayuga and Cortland counties. 

Mannion previously represented parts of Onondaga and Oswego counties as a state senator for New York’s 50th District, where he chaired the Senate Committee on Disabilities and helped enact CHIPS legislation. In his two years in Congress, Mannion secured over $15 million in community project funding for local municipalities to help keep communities within the district safe. 

He also held a substantial fundraising lead over Buller, having raised over $3.2 million, around $2.74 million more than his opponent.

Despite promising two years ago to be as bipartisan as possible, Mannion has remained largely Democratic in his positions. While in office, he has pushed back fiercely against President Donald Trump and his administration, voting against conservative-led legislation, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the SAVE America Act. 

Jamea Johnson, a legislative aide at the Onondaga County Legislature Democratic Caucus, said that she appreciates Mannion’s opposition to Trump. 

“I think that John Mannion, as he has stood against Trump, that only makes me a little bit more impressed with him because not that many people are willing to stand up and say that type of thing, especially with a sitting president with two terms under his belt and billions of dollars,” Johnson said. “So I’m grateful for the fact that John Mannion would be willing to oppose Trump for us.”

Buller has attributed Central New York being “left behind” to Mannion’s lack of bipartisanship and willingness to work with Trump during her campaign efforts.

However, one Mannion supporter disagrees with Buller’s point of view, contending that Mannion has acted more moderately than given credit for.

“I’m really pleased to see him taking kind of a moderate stance,” Melanie Callahan, a retired teacher from the district, said. “I think that’s what we need right now, and we went to hear him speak, and I was glad to see that he wasn’t holding extreme left views, that he was talking about energy and things with a more open-minded, moderate view.”

On current issues, Mannion said he supports reducing funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), voted for cutting military funding to Israel, but does not support the war in Iran, attributing it to Americans’ rising energy costs. His speech focused on highlighting his concern about addressing issues at home, instead of getting involved in complicated foreign affairs.

“We’ve got to make sure that we have real affordability, answers to problems, not just importing mystery meat and beef and giving a lifeline to the Russian war machine with diesel purchases,” Mannion said during his speech. “We need to accurately find ways to bring down utility costs; we need to make sure everybody can walk into a doctor’s office and have coverage. We need to make sure that people can find their American dream.”

At this time, Democratic candidates for county legislative positions are leading in most races. Maurice Brown, the Democratic candidate for Assembly District 129, has defeated his Republican opponent, Shawn Fiato. Last week, the two candidates made headlines as they traded accusations, with Brown’s campaign alleging that Fiato used “fabricated” and “digitally altered” photos in an advertisement. 

Mannion will return to Washington, D.C., for another two-year congressional term, keeping the district seat in Democratic hands.