In a historic victory, democratic socialist Maurice 'Mo' Brown has defeated 28-year incumbent Bill Magnarelli in the Democratic primary for New York State Assembly District 129. Following the counting of mail-in ballots, Brown won by approximately 100 votes, marking a significant upset in a district where Magnarelli had often run unopposed since taking office in 1999.
Brown's campaign, part of the 'Affordability Slate' put forward by the Syracuse chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), focused on housing, healthcare, and education as human rights. The victory is seen as part of a national trend of democratic socialists defeating establishment candidates. "The community has spoken, and the message is clear: Housing, healthcare, and education are human rights and the role of government is to protect those rights," said Brown.
The primary race drew attention due to outside spending: DoorDash spent nearly $155,000 on ads to defeat Brown in the last three weeks. Despite this, Brown's grassroots campaign overcame the political establishment, which included an endorsement from New York Governor Kathy Hochul for Magnarelli. Brown also received endorsements from the Syracuse DSA, the New York Working Families Party, Citizen Action of NY, and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.
The Affordability Slate included two other candidates: Jo Bennett won their primary for Onondaga County Legislator District 15, defeating an incumbent with 24 years in office. Tammy Honeywell lost her race but remains optimistic. "Our movement is growing and we are just getting started," said Honeywell. Bennett, a Syracuse public school teacher and union organizer, called the movement historic. "They voted to put human needs above billionaires and corporations," she said.
Brown emphasized that voters chose priorities of affordability, protecting people from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and banning data centers. The general election is set for November 23rd, with Brown and Bennett facing Republican opponents in heavily Democratic districts. Brown stated, "I will be so honored to represent our communities in Albany. I am ready to fight together to deliver on these needs and provide for all our people."
Syracuse DSA, established in 2018 and now a full chapter with hundreds of members, focuses on mutual aid, international solidarity with Palestine, opposing ICE, and electing democratic socialists to office. This primary victory signals a potential shift in local politics, with implications for how human rights and affordability are addressed in Central New York.
