Three Democrats seeking to challenge John Katko in NY-24 By Luke Perry
The Democratic primary in NY-24 will occur June 23, 2020. Three candidates are already vying to lead the Democratic challenge against John Katko.
Katko came to office in 2014, defeating incumbent Dan Maffei by 18 points. He was reelected in 2016 by 22 points over Colleen Deacon.
Photo by WRVO
Dana Balter won the 2018 nomination over Juanita Perez-Williams, 62 percent to 38 percent, in a unusual primary. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee backed Perez-Williams after the Democratic county committees endorsed Balter.
Balter lost to Katko, 53 percent to 47 percent, narrowing the gap for Democrats, but also demonstrating that Katko could hold his seat through Republican and Democratic presidencies.
In declaring her 2020 candidacy, Balter emphasized how her campaign “broke a lot of records” generating volunteers and raising money.” Balter raised more money in 2018 than any other NY-24 candidate ever had. She seeks to “reignite the movement” after building “tremendous momentum” and needing just “a little more time” to win the seat.
Balter’s campaign is focused on ensuring every person has “a secure job that pays a living wage, every family has good healthcare,” and “every child has an excellent school” and “safe neighborhood.” In 2018, Balter supported Medicare-for-All, a hot topic in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. This contrasted fellow Democratic challengers in central New York, Anthony Brindisi (NY-22) and Antonio Delgado (NY-19), who defeated incumbent Republicans.
Photo by WAER
Democrats Roger Misso and Francis Conole declared their candidacies this spring as well. Conole raised the most money among Democrats ($226,372) in the second quarter of this year. This was less than half of Katko’s total, but the fact Democrats raised a half million dollars combined speaks to how local Democrats are “energized” and the party at the national level will likely prioritize this seat as a potential pick-up.
Conole “made his longstanding ties to the community a centerpiece of his campaign,” emphasizing his family roots in Syracuse dating back to the early 1800’s and a legacy of service, from his grandfather being the first Democratic sheriff from Onondaga County to his two decades in the U.S. Navy.
Roger Misso, also a combat Navy veteran, was the first NY-24 candidate to declare. Misso’s campaign is focused on economic development, seeking to build a more “inclusive” and “accessible” regional economy.
Misso’s military service informs his potential representation of the district. Misso described himself as “a passionate advocate for defense reform and small businesses,” who took on “an entrenched bureaucracy” fighting for more gender diversity in military leadership, better family leave policies, more child care services, and more access to mental health services.
“I’m running for Congress to finish what we started. Katko & Trump believe in a system that benefits the powerful few. I stand with you & demand a world where everyday Americans get a fair shot. It’s time to break the stranglehold of entrenched power that puts profits over people.”
A language of economic populism and focus on the middle class are commonalities across all three NY-24 Democratic campaigns, providing an early contrast to Katko’s consistent emphasis on bipartisanship. The Democrats have, and will likely continue, try to unfavorably connect Katko to President Trump and big corporations.
This makes sense in the primary, where more ideological voters turn out more heavily, but it could be a different story in the general election. Katko’s political base includes crossover Democrats and third party support, both from more moderate (Independence Party) and more conservative (Conservative Party) partisans. 16 percent of his 2018 vote share came from these two ballot lines.
Photo by WAER
Katko has worked closely with newcomer Rep. Brindisi (NY-22), unlike his predecessor, Claudia Tenney (R). The relationship is mutually beneficial as both representatives pursue a moderate identity and share Oswego County
In 2018 Balter did well in Onondaga County, but Katko won the other three more suburban and rural districts with over 60 percent in each. Whomever the Democratic nominee is will likely have to expand her/his vote totals outside of Syracuse, where voters are less liberal.
Luke Perry (@PolSciLukePerry) is Professor of Government at Utica College
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