A look at the candidates in the NY-22 primary

Candidates in the Democratic primary for New York’s 22nd congressional seat will face off in a debate Tuesday. Spectrum News 1.

The district represents all of Onondaga and Madison counties, as well as parts of Cayuga, Cortland and Oneida counties.

Now owned by Republican Brandon Williams, Cook Political Report designated the seat as one of the most vulnerable in the country, as redistricting apparently shifted the seat to the left.

The 22nd helped Republicans secure control of the House or Representatives in 2022, and will likely play an important role in controlling the House this year.

At the same time, it’s a district in the middle of two massive development projects that mix local, state and federal resources, with candidates preparing to juggle the federal role in these local issues, as well as concerns broader national.

State Sen. John Mannion and DeWitt City Councilwoman Sarah Klee Hood both said so. Spectrum News 1 their backgrounds make them the best Democrats to take on Williams.

Mannion is a former teacher.

“If you are calm, they are calm. If you are in chaos, they are in chaos. So as a teacher you need to be prepared. You have to be focused,” he said.

Klee Hood served as an officer in the Air Force for six years.

“The military taught me very quickly how to lead people who don’t come from the same background,” she said.

At the top of the list of issues in the race is abortion. Klee Hood makes it clear that she does not support anything that could come between a woman and her doctor and maintains that national protection is necessary.

“A federal ban on abortion will affect New York State because federal law preempts state law,” she said.

Mannion has indicated support for New York’s current law, requiring a doctor’s approval for an abortion after 24 weeks, and is firm in his support for abortion rights in general.

“We really need to protect women’s right to choose across the country,” he said.

Both are looking at decisions about military aid for the first time. Regarding the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, Mannion insists we must support our allies, but said peace is the desired outcome.

“We have to support them,” he said of Ukraine. “As for the other conflict, we have a unique relationship with Israel. We have supported them. They are the only democracy in the Middle East. We must continue to support them,” he said.

Klee Hood said his military experience helps guide his similar stance on conflict.

“I support continued aid to Ukraine and our strategic allies in the Middle East, Israel, as we continue to ensure respect for democracy,” she said.

As for the I-81 Community Network project, Klee Hood was criticized for voting to allow DeWitt to participate in a lawsuit that delayed work on the project. She attributes this to a misunderstanding about the scale of the trial, not a lack of support for the grid, the principle of which she says she has always supported.

“Once I learned that the lawsuit could delay the entire I-81 project, I spoke out and ensured that the city would no longer play an active role in it,” he said. -she declared.

Mannion touts his experience working on both projects and supports the community network. When it comes to managing the rollout of Micron’s new semiconductor plant in the town of Clay, he says its track record speaks for itself.

“It takes leadership to make sure we do things right,” he said. “There was no state incentive program to ensure that we were competitive and could attract one of these chip mills to the area. I was the lead co-sponsor of the green chip legislation.

Klee Hood stressed that whoever is elected will need to pressure Micron to protect the environment – ​​and hire locals.

“I want to ensure that qualified Central New York residents will be prioritized for jobs as they are deployed,” she said. “I don’t want to see an influx of new people when we already have a skilled workforce here in Central New York.”

Both candidates say inflation, affordability and climate issues are other issues they believe Congress needs to work harder to address.