Syracuse University alumna Colleen Deacon beats SU professor Eric Kingson in Democratic congressional primary

Syracuse University alumna Colleen Deacon has won the Democratic nomination in New York’s 24th District congressional race, beating SU professor Eric Kingson and Syracuse lawyer Steven Williams.

Deacon will face incumbent Rep. John Katko (R-NY), who ran unopposed in the primary, in the general election this November.

Deacon won 48 percent of the vote — 16 percent ahead of Kingson who got 32 percent, according to the NY State Board of Elections. Williams came in third with 19 percent.

In total, about 11,878 registered Democrats voted in the primary, which is about 8.5 percent of total active registered Democratic voters in the 24th district.

Deacon worked previously as an aide to former Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). She was widely considered to be the favorite going into Tuesday’s election and garnered a number of high profile endorsements from the likes of Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) during her campaign.

Kingson, a professor of social work at SU, launched his campaign as a progressive alternative to Deacon. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) both endorsed and campaigned for Kingson in the weeks leading up to the primary.