In a historic primary election, democratic socialist Maurice 'Mo' Brown has defeated 28-year incumbent Assemblymember Bill Magnarelli to become the Democratic nominee for New York State Assembly District 129. The victory, confirmed after the counting of mail-in ballots, saw Brown win by approximately 100 votes. This outcome is part of a national trend of democratic socialist candidates defeating establishment figures in primary elections.
'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. 'Our victory today is a collective one. It is a victory against big money and establishment politics.'
Magnarelli, who took office in 1999, had often run unopposed. In the final three weeks of the primary, DoorDash spent nearly $155,000 on ads to defeat Brown. Despite this, Brown's grassroots campaign overcame the backing of the political establishment, including an endorsement from New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
Brown's candidacy was part of the 'Affordability Slate' put forward by Syracuse DSA, which also included Jo Bennett and Tammy Honeywell. Bennett won her primary for Onondaga County Legislator District 15, defeating an opponent with 24 years of legislative experience. Honeywell lost her race but remains optimistic about the movement's momentum.
'Our movement is growing and we are just getting started,' said Honeywell. 'Residents see that we bring something new and want to address the issues that face people every day: Affordability and human rights!'
All three candidates received early endorsements from the Syracuse DSA, New York Working Families Party, and Citizen Action of NY. Brown later secured an endorsement from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, a full-circle moment as Brown began his political activism as a delegate for Sanders' presidential campaign.
Brown's platform focused on affordability, protecting people from ICE, and banning data centers. 'The voters chose the priorities we ran on,' he said.
Syracuse DSA now turns to the general election on November 23rd. Brown and Bennett will face Republican opponents in heavily Democratic districts. Brown expressed his readiness to serve: '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.'
