50th State Senate: Rebecca Shiroff, John Mannion divided by less than 1,000 votes

With the votes from Oswego County tallied, Republican Rebecca Shiroff has taken over the lead from Democrat John Mannion in the State’s 50th Senate District by less than 1,000 votes.

Shiroff held a lead of 60,245 votes over Mannion’s 59,849 with the full in-person vote counted, according to unofficial results reported in Onondaga and Oswego counties.

There are still absentee ballots to be counted in the 50th District, which will be home to the proposed Micron computer chip manufacturing plant.

“We’ll see. We’re ahead right now,” Shiroff said early Wednesday morning. “We’re optimistic, so once we have the final numbers, I guess we’ll see who the winner is.”

Mannion chaired the State Senate’s Committee on Disabilities during this past legislative session and was an advocate of the state’s “Green CHIPS” bill that helped bring Micron to the Town of Clay. Micron’s investment in Onondaga County is set to total $100 billion over the next two decades, and bring job growth the region has not seen in years.

Mannion said Wednesday morning the race was still too close to call

“This process may take several weeks,” he said. “It’s important for every vote to be counted, for the process to play out with openness and transparency, and for the results to be respected and honored, regardless of the outcome.”

Both candidates ran campaigns highlighting pragmatism, common-sense solutions, and the ability to bring tangible improvements to the lives of Central New Yorkers.

The recently redrawn 50th District includes northern Onondaga County and all of Oswego County, and slightly favors Republicans. It included Cayuga County prior to the unveiling of the new district maps in May. 

Democrats had not won this district for 50 years prior to Mannion’s 2020 victory.

A former AP biology teacher and New York State United Teachers leader, Mannion received major endorsements from labor unions like the 1199 Service Employees International Union, NYSUT, and the New York State American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. Labor leaders spoke on their endorsements at a get out the vote rally last Saturday, citing his experience with organized labor and his championing of the Micron deal as key factors. 

He also garnered endorsements from key elected leaders in New York, including Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. 

In a prior interview with Central Current, Mannion said he would continue to engage local representatives and business leaders linked to the Micron deal to better advocate for the project’s success in legislative and budgetary ways.

Shiroff is a program analyst for Onondaga County in the Office of Economic Development who worked to facilitate the Micron deal.

The Manlius Republican focused her campaign on pointing out what she described as the excesses of one-party rule in New York. Some of her campaign’s main issues included the repeal of a package of criminal justice reforms passed in 2019 known commonly as bail reform, creating what she describes as a more favorable climate for small businesses through tax relief, and securing resources to tackle mental health issues at schools.