NY-22: Williams holds lead in battle for Syracuse district

Republican Brandon Williams holds the lead in New York's 22nd Congressional District from votes tallied on election night, ahead of Democrat Francis Conole by roughly 3,300 votes.

Early Wednesday, Williams thanked voters for their support. Conole called for all remaining votes to be counted before the race is called.

“Tonight this race is too close to call and we need to ensure that every Central New Yorker's voice is heard and their ballot is counted," Conole said in a statement. "This is a fundamental part of our democracy, and we look forward to it being carried out in the coming days. The Board of Elections staff works tirelessly to ensure this is done in a transparent process, and we should let them finish their jobs.”

The state Board of Elections shows Williams leads comes with 486 of 678 districts reporting, but the missing districts include all of Oneida County, though 72,684 votes have been counted there. Oneida County Board of Elections said early Wednesday a "technical issue" prevented them from posting full results — only early voting and partial absentee voting numbers were posted.

The 22nd Congressional District includes Syracuse and Utica, essentially combining retiring U.S. Rep. John Katko’s seat with that held by U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney after redistricting. If the results hold, the narrow win will allow Republicans to hang onto a key contested seat for control of the House of Representatives.

Contrasting styles

While Conole and Williams are both U.S. Navy veterans, their personal brands of politics were expectedly different.

Williams, an entrepreneur who built a software company, touted his conservative credentials as a pro-2nd Amendment and anti-abortion candidate. He blamed government spending for the spiraling inflation and championed his political outsider status before the August primary.

Conole praised the passage of bipartisan legislation like the infrastructure bill and CHIPS and Science Act authored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. He also highlighted a pro-abortion stance on abortion and was critical of the withdrawal in Afghanistan and the federal government's response to inflation.

More:Elise Stefanik has won reelection to U.S. House seat

More:NY-22 candidate spotlight: Francis Conole talks service, outside money and abortion rights

Flip the script

The result comes after a Spectrum News/Siena College poll gave Conole a narrow edge, 46% to 42%, within the margin of error in the latest poll released Nov. 4. It flipped the results of a September poll which showed Williams ahead 45% to 40%.

Polls gave then-U.S. Rep. Anthony Brindisi a 9-point lead over Tenney in the 2020 election. Tenney would eventually emerge victorious by a 109-vote margin following a lengthy judicial review.

Williams, a U.S. Navy veteran and entrepreneur, easily defeated Steve Wells in the August primary despite support for the latter from the Congressional Leadership Fund. Conole, a Navy veteran, survived a trio of contenders - Sarah Klee Hood, Chol Majok and Sam Roberts - to advance to the general election, despite Klee Hood carrying Oneida and Madison counties.

Shape of the district

The newly drawn New York 22nd Congressional District centers around Syracuse and contains Onondaga, Oneida and Madison counties, as well as a sliver of Oswego County. The district favors Democrats by registration but has been considered a toss-up or leaning-Republican race throughout the duration of the general election by the Cook Political Report and FiveThirtyEight.

While Brindisi and Tenney were from Oneida County, neither Conole or Williams are.

“Our region will likely serve as an important piece to election victory, meriting some degree of attention during campaigns, and likely be home to a district office, which is helpful,” said Luke Perry, a political science professor at Utica University in an October interview. “But the days of our congressional representative being local are probably over.”

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Congress election NY 22: Williams holds lead over Conole in district