State Senator John Mannion has defeated Representative Brandon Williams of New York, according to The Associated Press, delivering Democrats the first flipped House seat in the country.
Mr. Williams, a Republican, was widely considered the most vulnerable sitting congressman in the country after redistricting added more Democrats to the 22nd Congressional District in central New York.
This Syracuse-based district has long been a prime target for Democrats, but their attempts to win the seat were thwarted by the popular incumbent Republican, John Katko, a moderate who voted to impeach former President Donald J. Trump.
Mr. Mannion, 56, has deep ties to the district, where he spent decades teaching high school biology before being elected to the State Senate in 2020. He campaigned on his success in persuading the state to provide tax breaks that were a factor in Micron’s decision to set up shop outside of Syracuse, as well as his strong ties to labor.
“This is a night to celebrate, but we’ve got lots of work to do,” Mr. Mannion told supporters gathered at his election night party in Syracuse. “We have to make sure that we protect a woman’s right to choose. We have to make sure that there is opportunity and equity and fairness in all of our systems for everyone.”
Mr. Williams, 57, faced criticism over his stance on abortion. He had celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade and has said that he believes abortion ought to only be available in cases of rape, incest or medical necessity.
In 2020, President Biden scored a seven-point victory over Mr. Trump in the district; under the new contours, Mr. Biden would have won by 11 points — a difficult margin for any Republican to overcome, let alone a conservative like Mr. Williams.
In recent months, the campaign had devolved into personal attacks, with both candidates resurfacing accusations of workplace misconduct in political ads.
Mr. Williams was caught on camera berating a former campaign manager in a profanity-laced tirade at a holiday party last year. He later said that two of his staff members had tried to blackmail him by threatening to reveal sensitive information about his daughter — a charge the staff members deny.
Mr. Mannion was accused of creating a hostile workplace by three former employees. He was later cleared of the allegations by the New York State Senate.
Mr. Williams also found himself playing defense last week after House Speaker Mike Johnson, campaigning in his district, said that he would repeal the CHIPS Act, which was instrumental in the state’s bringing Micron to the district. Mr. Williams released a statement later saying that Mr. Johnson misspoke.
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