Bernie Sanders Endorsed Our Campaign. Here’s Why It Means So Much to Me.
May 18th 2026
In case you missed it, Bernie Sanders has endorsed our Campaign for New York State Assembly. This moment allows me to reflect on how I got here.
In 2015, I was frustrated with politics. Like a lot of young people, I looked at government and saw institutions that often felt disconnected from everyday people. Housing costs were rising. Wages were not keeping up. Healthcare remained too expensive. Too often, politics felt like a system designed to protect wealthy interests while asking working people to settle for less.
Then I learned about Bernie Sanders’ run for president. For the first time, I saw someone speak clearly about the problems people in my generation were actually living through. He was talking about healthcare as a right, affordable housing, economic inequality, and the idea that government should actively improve people’s lives. He was not telling people to lower their expectations. He was telling people to demand more from their government. For millions of people, including me, that campaign created a new sense of political possibility.
I joined Syracuse for Sanders and began organizing locally because I believed in that vision.
In 2016, I had the honor of serving as a national delegate for Bernie’s presidential campaign. In 2020, I returned as a delegate again. Those experiences introduced me to organizing, shaped my political worldview, and helped set me on the path that eventually led me to public service.
Years later, I now serve as an Onondaga County Legislator, and I am running for State Assembly because I believe our communities need leaders who are willing to meet the scale of the challenges people are facing. We need to build housing at scale. We need better public transportation. We need to protect our water and environment. We need a government that treats affordability as the crisis that it is.
That is why this endorsement feels so meaningful to me.
On a personal level, it feels incredibly full circle to be endorsed by someone who played such a major role in why I entered politics in the first place. But what makes this moment even more meaningful is what it represents about leadership.
Too often in politics, particularly within establishment circles, especially in Syracuse, we see leaders hold onto power without making a serious effort to prepare the next generation. There is often an unspoken “wait your turn” mentality where younger leaders are told to be patient, stay quiet, and hope an opportunity eventually opens up. Here in Syracuse, there are talented younger establishment Democrats like Dan Romeo and Jimmy Monto who may be ready to take on more responsibility, but very little effort is made to help them grow into those roles.
That mindset has never made sense to me because every healthy institution understands the importance of succession planning.
I saw it in the Army. Strong leaders were expected to develop the people beneath them because missions do not succeed when leadership pipelines are weak. I saw it in high school football growing up, where the Seniors made sure younger teammates got experience so they would be ready when their time came. Healthy organizations understand that leadership is not about preserving your own relevance forever. It is about making sure the people coming after you are prepared to lead. Politics should be no different.
That is one of the things I respect most about Bernie Sanders. He understands that movements have to outlive any one individual. They require intentional investment in new leadership. They require mentorship. They require someone willing to say, I believe in this next generation enough to help elevate them. That is what makes this endorsement feel so special.
To have someone who helped define the most important political movements of my lifetime look at me and say that I am someone who can help carry this work forward means a great deal to me. Especially because I have seen firsthand here in Syracuse how often institutions resist generational change instead of embracing it.
This endorsement feels different because it represents the opposite of that mindset. It represents growth. It represents trust. And it represents a belief that the next generation of leadership should be prepared now, not decades from now when someone in power dies.
That is the kind of leadership culture I want to help build here in Central New York. I am incredibly honored to have Senator Sanders’ support, but this campaign has always been about the people here at home. It is about whether families can afford rent. It is about whether young people can afford to stay here. It is about whether our transit system works. It is about whether we protect our environment. It is about whether government can rise to meet this moment and actually improve people’s lives. That is the work in front of us now. And I am ready for it.
What does Bernie Sanders’ endorsement say about the race against Bill Magnarelli?
The endorsement highlights growing support for Maurice Brown’s campaign and reflects broader conversations within the Democratic Party about affordability, economic justice, and generational leadership.
What issues connect Maurice Brown and Bernie Sanders politically?
Both campaigns have emphasized affordability, economic inequality, affordable housing, public transportation, environmental protection, and the idea that government should actively improve people’s lives.
Has Maurice Brown served as a Bernie Sanders delegate?
Yes. Maurice Brown served as a delegate for Bernie Sanders during both the 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.
Why does Maurice Brown talk about generational change in relation to Bill Magnarelli?
Maurice Brown has argued that politics should intentionally develop and elevate newer leadership rather than relying indefinitely on the same generation of elected officials. Brown believes voters are looking for leaders prepared to meet today’s challenges with new ideas and urgency.