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New York State Sen. John Mannion and Rep. Brandon Williams took the stage for the second debate in their race for New York’s 22nd Congressional District seat on Tuesday night. The live event, hosted by WCNY-TV, was the second in a four-debate series.

The debate alternated between local and national topics, including childcare affordability, gun violence, homelessness and child poverty. Moderators also brought up political developments that emerged following last week’s debate, including the New York attorney general’s TikTok lawsuit and the federal announcement that cities must remove lead pipes.

The congressional race has generated national attention, as the winner could influence party control of the House of Representatives in 2025. The 22nd district covers Madison and Onondaga counties, along with portions of Cayuga, Cortland and Oneida counties.

In opening remarks, both Mannion and Williams discussed their previous political experience and relationship to the 22nd district. Mannion highlighted his connection to the region as a life-long Syracuse resident.

As in their first debate, Williams again emphasized his status as a “political outsider” and said he initially decided to run for Congress because he believes the nation needs better leaders.

Moderator David Lombardo began by asking if Congress should restrict the use of social media by minors, in reference to a potential TikTok ban. Both candidates said TikTok has contributed to a national decline in mental health among young adults and children. They agreed that there should be legal restrictions on social media.

When asked about the Environmental Protection Agency’s lead pipe ruling, Mannion said lead dust and paint found in older infrastructure in Syracuse and surrounding areas is “incredibly dangerous” to children.

Mannion said he began funding the replacement of lead infrastructure and hopes to receive federal funding to continue the project.

Echoing the state senator’s concerns, Williams said lead poisoning is destructive for children’s development. He also mentioned his previous policies aiming to combat lead poisoning in public housing projects.

The candidates also discussed the 2021 goal set forth by New York state policy makers to cut child poverty in half by 2032. The city of Syracuse has one of the highest child poverty rates in the United States, at 45.8% – a figure that was a frequent topic of discussion over the course of the night.

Williams said he secured funding to address poverty in upstate New York’s most vulnerable communities during his time as representative. He said if re-elected, he plans to allocate additional funds to support public education for children and expand school voucher programs, which provide parents in low-income neighborhoods with public funds to help cover private school tuition.

While Mannion said poverty has no immediate solution, he said he intends to prioritize additional resources — such as expanding affordable school lunch services, improving public schools and increasing accessibility to housing, healthcare and transportation — should he take office.

Williams and Mannion both said they are supporters of Child Tax Credit and affordable child care policies. Mannion also said he supports an expansion of the policy, despite conflicting views in Congress.

Williams said that part of the issue with making child care more affordable is the limited number of industry professionals. Williams compared the need to increase pay for child care workers to recent efforts to raise law enforcement officer wages.

Much like in the first debate, the moderator then asked Williams and Mannion several rapid-fire, short answer questions. Lombardo first asked the candidates if Congress should pass legislation affirming a right to birth control and if Congress should expand its existing insurance mandate to cover over-the-counter birth control products.

Mannion expressed support for both federal policies. Williams said while he does not oppose accessible birth control, he does not support an expansion of birth control mandates.

During the rapid fire, Lombardo also asked about recent efforts to exclude money received from tips from federal income taxes and raise the national minimum wage. Williams and Mannion both supported the “no tax on tips” policy. Mannion also expressed support for a minimum wage raise, while Williams said the issue did not pertain to New York.

In closing statements, Williams emphasized that he wants to strengthen the southern border security and support border personnel and other law enforcement officials. He accused Mannion of advocating for free “health care for illegal immigrants.”

Mannion responded by saying illegal immigrants do not currently receive free health care. He closed with an optimistic statement encouraging forward thinking among his supporters.

The next Mannion-Williams debate will be hosted by WSYR-TV on Oct. 22.

Published on October 9, 2024 at 1:54 am

Contact Kate: kjacks19@syr.edu