By Hayleigh Gowans
Staff Writer
Syracuse resident Colleen Deacon has secured the party nomination as Democratic candidate for the New York 24th Congressional District race following the June 28th federal primary against Eric Kingson and Steve Williams. Deacon will go on to run against Republican candidate and incumbent Congressman John Katko and Working Families candidate Mimi Satter in the general election on Nov. 8.
The 24th Congressional District includes Onondaga, Cayuga and Wayne counties, as well as the western part of Oswego County. A total of 11,878 votes were cast with 323 of 324 election districts reporting. Deacon led with 48 percent of those votes, with Kingson getting 32 percent and 19 percent going to Williams.
“I’m so honored to have won the Democratic nomination. I’m proud of the work we have done so far, and the results on Tuesday, and I’m looking forward to taking on John Katko in November,” said Deacon in a statement after the primary. “Katko has done nothing to address the issues that are most important to the people of this district. Instead he’s gone against his campaign promise and voted four times already to cut funding to Planned Parenthood. He refuses to vote on common sense, bi-partisan legislation that will keep those on the terrorist watch list from buying assault rifles. He refuses to support legislation that will help the hard working people of this district like increasing the minimum wage or implementing paid family leave. I want to focus on the issues that matter to the people of this district. Issues like women’s access to healthcare, like closing the terror gap and keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill and issues like paid family leave. I’m looking forward to a spirited campaign in the coming months and taking this seat back in November.”
Deacon, who is a former Central New York district director for U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, received endorsements from Gillibrand, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner, Assemblyman William Magnarelli, Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter and Auburn Mayor Mike Quill.
Kingson is a Syracuse University professor and Manlius resident who received endorsements from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva, Michigan Congressman John Coyers, Democracy for America and National Nurses United. Williams is a lawyer and U.S. Navy Veteran from Baldwinsville who ran a grassroots campaign receiving no endorsements from high-ranking Democrats.
