NEW YORK — Rep. Brandon Williams of New York, a Republican in a swing congressional district, lost his reelection Tuesday to Democratic State Sen. John Mannion.
The election in the state’s 22nd District was called by The Associated Press after 11 p.m. EST with Mr. Mannion leading Mr. Williams 53.8% to 46.2%, with 81% of the precincts reporting.
Mr. Williams, who launched a reelection bid for a second term in the upstate district that includes Syracuse, Rome and Utica, faced a strong challenge by Mr. Mannion, who was backed by a powerful teachers union.
The incumbent, a Navy veteran and businessman, came to Congress in the 2022 wave of New York seats that flipped to Republicans and helped give the GOP the majority. Republicans knew his reelection would be complicated after redistricting gave Democrats an advantage.
The race became one of the most closely watched in the country this election cycle, as Republicans scrambled to hold on to their narrow majority in the lower chamber.
“My opponent voted to gerrymander this district to benefit himself,” Mr. Williams said on Sunday. “This is the only congressional district that they tried to make lopsided, to ensure a Democrat win. There is no better place to hit back at Albany. There is no better place to hit back at the Biden administration.”
Mr. Mannion and Mr. Williams took opposing sides on key issues during the campaign season, including abortion and immigration. Mr. Mannion is pro-choice and was endorsed by Planned Parenthood, while Mr. Williams is pro-life except in cases of rape, incest and protecting the life of the mother.
On immigration, Mr. Mannion blamed former President Donald Trump for killing a bipartisan border security bill, which he previously told Spectrum One News he would support himself if elected.
Mr. Williams, however, supported more stringent enforcement of immigration laws and increased border security, and pointed the finger at Democrats for not supporting his House Republicans’ legislation, the Secure the Border Act.
Both candidates raised millions of dollars, with Mr. Mannion bringing in $3.5 million with almost $460,000 cash on hand, while Mr. Williams raised nearly $3.9 million and had almost $350,000 million cash on hand.
Mr. Mannion was first elected to the state Senate in 2020 and again in 2022 by the narrowest of margins.
His support from the teachers union sprang up from the beginning of his political career, but he was involved in labor organizing prior to his run for office when he was a teacher and local union chapter president.
Through a federal super PAC, the union spent about $2.3 million helping Mr. Mannion and four other Democrats running in competitive congressional districts around New York.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.