Reps. Brandon Williams and John Mannion have agreed to participate in a debate hosted by syracuse.com | The Post-Standard on Oct. 1, the first of four debates ahead of the 22nd Congressional District race.
The first debate will be streamed live by Syracuse University’s SI Newhouse School of Public Communications on syracuse.com and its Facebook page. A replay will also be available on syracuse.com.
Williams, a first-term Republican from Sennett in Cayuga County, and Mannion, a two-term Democratic state senator from Geddes, are seeking to win one of the most hotly contested House seats in the country.
Both parties view Central New York’s 22nd District as key to winning a majority in the House of Representatives in November’s elections. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win the majority.
Mannion and Williams also agreed to scheduled televised debates on Oct. 8 on WCNY-TV (Channel 24) and Oct. 22 on WSYR-TV (Channel 9) in Syracuse, spokespeople for both campaigns said today.
A fourth debate will air the last week of October on CNY Central, the combination of WSTM-TV (Channel 3) and WTVH-TV (Channel 5) in Syracuse. The exact date for that debate has not yet been determined.
Williams also agreed to participate in two more debates or forums before the Nov. 5 election. Those events would be sponsored by Syracuse radio station WSYR-AM and Cayuga Community College, said Williams spokesman Taylor Weyeneth.
Mannion did not receive invitations to these events, said Joe Agovino, Mannion’s campaign manager.
“Senator Mannion has agreed to these four debates based on the invitations he has received and looks forward to a comprehensive debate schedule,” Agovino said.
The two major party congressional candidates have traditionally participated in three or four televised debates in Central New York before the November election.
This will be the first election to use the new 22nd Congressional District map approved by state lawmakers in February.
The district covers all of Onondaga and Madison counties, as well as parts of Cayuga, Cortland, and Oneida counties. The district includes the cities of Syracuse, Auburn, Cortland, and Utica.
The new district is more favorable for Democratic candidates than the old 22nd district and offers Democrats a lead of about 30,000 voters.
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