New Yorkers Select Candidates in Key Congressional Races

A person votes at the Bronx County Supreme Court House as voters head to the polls for the Democratic primary in New York City on June 25, 2024. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

NEW YORK CITY—While much attention has focused on Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s heated primary battle in New York, elsewhere in the state, voters selected their candidates for key swing seats in the House of Representatives.

In District 22, state Sen. John Mannion won the Democrat nomination and will advance to face Republican incumbent Brandon Williams.

Former CNN anchor John Avlon won the Democratic primary in District 1 and will go on to compete for the seat held by Republican incumbent Rep. Nick LaLota.

New York District 22

At stake for the Republican Party in November is a slim majority in the House after redistricting rendered New York’s CD 22 vulnerable to a Democrat flip.

“I think if it changes to Democrat, we probably have some more important laws going through Congress and I would be in favor of that,” said Manhattan resident Roger Nelson, 83.

Mr. Nelson voted at the Edward A. Reynolds West Side High School polling location on West 102 Street.

Roger Nelson votes at the Edward A. Reynolds West Side High School polling location on West 102 Street in Manhattan, N.Y., on June 25, 2024. (Juliette Fairley/The Epoch Times)

CD 22, consisting of Madison, Oneida, and Onondaga counties, is leaning more heavily blue than in 2022 when Mr. Williams was first elected.

“Brandon Williams is going to have to work very hard,” New York GOP congressional candidate Mike Zumblaskas told The Epoch Times. “We’re a blue state. Republicans also need to become more like the Democrats and do more voter poll operations. Get a better ground game.”

Mr. Zumblaskas unsuccessfully challenged CD 12’s incumbent Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) in 2022.

New York Congressional candidate Mike Zumblaskas on June 25, 2024. (Juliette Fairley/Epoch Times)

Mr. Mannion, a member of the New York State Senate representing District 50, and Democrat Sarah Klee Hood, an Air Force veteran, were vying for the Democrat nomination.

Mr. Mannion was recently accused of subjecting his former workers to mistreatment and retaliation. The group of former staffers posted an open letter on Medium detailing sexist and homophobic allegations. Neither Mr. Mannion nor Ms. Hood responded to requests for comment.

“A lot of people are getting tired of all the personal stuff coming up in races and voters are now starting to look more at what their policies are going to be doing,” Mr. Zumblaskas added. “Bill Clinton had all kinds of allegations against him and he is still beloved by many Democrats.”

Rep. Williams, who entered office in January 2023, did not have to face a primary because there was no GOP opponent.

Onondaga County Board of Election data shows that some 1,539 Democrats voted by mail and 3,625 cast early ballots.

“It’s 20 percent more than in 2022,” said Dustin Czarny, the Democrat Elections Commissioner for Onondaga, New York. “Typical voter turnout for our primaries is anywhere between 15 and 20 percent,” he said.

Oneida County Board of Elections reported 559 early Democrat voters and 599 Democrat absentee ballots returned as of June 23, while in Madison County, Democrats cast 205 early votes and 228 absentee ballots.

“Turnout was incredibly low because people don’t pay attention,” Madison County Republican Election Commissioner Mary Egger told The Epoch Times. “It’s frustrating.”

New York District 1

Mr. Avlon has pulled off a primary victory in New York’s District 1 against his opponent, fellow Democrat Nancy Goroff, who has a background in academia and the nonprofit sector.

District 1 encompasses a large swath of eastern Long Island. Having cleared this hurdle, Mr. Avlon will run in November against Republican incumbent Rep. Nick LaLota.

Mr. Avlon ran with the benefit of glowing endorsements from influential figures in the party, including Rep. Tom Suozzi, who in February won District 3’s special election to replace Republican Rep. George Santos following the latter’s ouster from Congress. Mr. Santos represented New York’s District 3 until Congress voted in December to expel him after an ethics committee found “substantial evidence” that he violated federal campaign finance laws.

Mr. Suozzi called Mr. Avlon “a common-sense Democrat who understands we need to focus on the issues Long Islanders care about. He believes we need to rebuild the middle class, restore the state and local tax deduction, solve the border crisis, protect reproductive health care rights and heal the divides in our country.”

Other endorsers of Mr. Avlon included Rep. Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.), Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.).

By contrast, many of Ms. Goroff’s most prominent supporters represented constituencies outside New York State. They included Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Rep. Bill Foster, (D-Ill.), Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.), and Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.).