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Over 150 people gathered at Harvey’s Garden in Syracuse for the Onondaga County Democratic Committee’s Election Night Watch Party.

Multiple Democratic politicians joined together for the celebration Tuesday night, with TVs streaming results of the 2024 presidential race. Many wore “Harris-Walz 2024” hats and t-shirts and expressed generally optimistic moods.

State Sen. John Mannion won the race for the New York 22nd Congressional District seat during the watch party, prompting cheers and applause from the crowd. Mannion was not present at the Tuesday night gathering.

Bill Magnarelli, a New York State assemblyman representing its 129th district, ran again for the position unopposed. He said he was not feeling as confident about Democrats’ chance to take the presidency, as former President Donald Trump led Vice President Kamala Harris throughout Election Night.

“(I feel) very nervous, as everybody else is here, until this is all over and we find out who wins,” Magnarelli said. “I think I’ll be nervous to that point. It’s probably not going to be tonight. It’ll be days from now, so (I’m) nervous (and have) a lot of anxiety.”

Magnarelli said that, even though his spot is secured in this election, he came to show support for all the other Democratic candidates in central New York.

Pamela Hunter, an assemblywoman representing the 128th district, said people should put more focus on local politics regardless of who wins the presidential election. She said that, since the country is very politically divided, it’s important for candidates to come together to show appreciation to the politicians who spent their time campaigning for the elections.

“Your gut might not like one choice or the other, but at the end of the day, the people who are elected to run for city council take care of the police and the fire and the garbage and the roads that you need fixed,” Hunter said.

Hunter was elected over her opponent, Daniel Ciciarelli, Tuesday night. Hunter has been in office since 2o15. Her key platform focuses are the housing market, student literacy rates and debt relief. She said she wants to continue finding solutions for affordable housing and quality education in her next term.

Assemblyman Albert Stirpe Jr., representing the 127th district, was also reelected Tuesday. Stirpe has served the 127th district in the assembly since 2012. He said he has environmental policies he hopes to achieve going forward, including the “Bucks for Boilers” act.

Stirpe said he feels the country as a whole is in good shape in terms of infrastructure, unemployment rates and the stock market, adding that electing Trump would be “catastrophic.” He said he supports Harris’s policies, such as her views on foreign policy and aid to Ukraine.

“If (Trump is elected), the country will change dramatically and not for the better. We’ve got things really moving forward economically,” Stirpe said. “So I don’t think making a change at this point that’s drastic is really helpful to the country.”

Senator Rachel May, who has represented New York’s 48th district since 2023, was also reelected. May said her main policies focus on affordable housing, fresh water and child poverty. She said she wants to fight for a better future for children.

Echoing Hunter, May said while she is not confident in the results of the presidential election, she feels positive about the direction that central New York is going in. She said, regardless of the outcome, she will continue to fight for New York and democracy itself.

“I am terrified about what might happen at the federal level, but I think here in New York, we have laid the groundwork to be a real holder of democracy for the country and I am eager to continue working on that issue,” May said.

May said she attended the party to support other Democrats who have worked on campaigning and pushed for Proposition 1 — which was approved during Tuesday’s elections. She said it’s important to gather together for people who have been working hard to help Democrats win.

“This year has been troubling. I think that the country is divided and people have really strong opinions, and maybe some of them have not been rooted in fact, which is problematic,” Hunter said. “But I think every day provides us a new day, a new start to be able to do better, to be better, and I think that’s where we need to be at right now.”

Published on November 6, 2024 at 1:42 am

Contact Roxanne: rmboychu@syr.edu