Syracuse-based NY-22 is New York’s ultimate swing district, depending what the map-drawer is trying to accomplish. The most recent map went from a partisan lean of D+4 to a partisan lean of D+2, as a Republican judge aimed to punish New York Democrats. Onondaga County is solidly Democratic but Oneida, Madison and Oswego are very red. The more of those 3— or counties like then— you put into the district to water down the Onondaga vote, the harder it is for a Democrat to win.
Last year, with the seat open, an especially putrid Democrat, Francis Conole, lost to Republican Brandon Williams 135,544 (50.49%) to 132,913 (49.51%), one of the closest races in the country. That year, Wayne and Cayuga counties were removed from the district entirely and replaced by Oneida and Madison. In 2020, Biden had won the district 53.4% to 44.4% (old boundaries of that day) and 52.6% to 45.2% if the election would have been under the new boundaries.
Shorter version: Williams, a MAGA nut, is very vulnerable, especially if the Democrats manage to nominate an attractive candidate, like Sarah Klee Hood and not another conservative loser (John Mannion). So, my radar went off when this profanity-laced video taken at a lobbying firm’s Christmas party, appeared on social media last week.
Williams, a Texas multimillionaire, former Wall Street bankster and religionist fanatic, is well-known for being a bully and one of the worst bosses on Capitol Hill, unable to keep staffers. He has the 3rd worst employer record in the House, having lost 6 of his original 13 staffers during his first eight months in office, including his most senior aides— a chief of staff, legislative director, communications director and operations director. Ironically, George Santos lodged a complaint against him with the Ethics Committee based on how Williams treats his staff. The young guy in the video is his chief of staff, Michael Gordon, who formerly lived in Williams’ house (when he was Williams’ campaign manager) and had just been fired by him. Williams had also just fired Ryan Sweeney, his legislative director.
Williams’ abusive behavior towards underlings and his MAGA perspective are often attributed to Post-Malaria Neurological Syndrome after a severe case of malaria which causes neurological symptoms such as confusion, seizures, and other cognitive issues. Williams has claimed that Gordon was “trying to exert some leverage over me and I just simply won't allow that to happen,” although Williams won’t say what that leverage is all about. He’s not shy about talking though. He told the media he attacked Gordon because Gordon— he claims— threatened to expose Williams’ 27 year old daughter’s OnlyFans porn site. It has been noted that for just a few dollars the daughter, who (of course) he home-schooled and indoctrinated in extreme religionism, would commit sex acts on video (which not even Santos would do and which Lauren Boebert has stopped doing... at least for now).
Olivia Beavers reported that Williams, who owns a truffle farm, “declined to comment on the specifics behind the dismissals of Gordon and Sweeney. A person with direct knowledge of the personnel matter, granted anonymity to discuss internal office dynamics, said that Sweeney was fired for reasons related to job performance. After Sweeney recorded the lawmaker during their argument outside the holiday party, Williams said the former aide delivered a personal jab at the lawmaker: ‘Hey, fuck you! Guess what, bitch? All I have to do is pay $7 to watch your daughter shove her phone up her pussy!’ One eyewitness of the skirmish, however, could not confirm that version of events and recalled seeing Williams leave the area right after knocking Sweeney’s phone out of his hands. This eyewitness, granted anonymity to share recollections of the tense moment, added that the scene was loud and crowded so a comment might have been missed.”
On watching the video, Hood noted that “some say that women are 'too emotional' to hold elected office, and yet here is our esteemed Congressman, Brandon Williams.”