Thank you Central New York
The culmination of an incredible amount of love, labor, energy and a shared belief that Syracuse can do better. There are too many people to thank individually, but I wanted to try and at least tell the story. From the folks who wrote post cards, to folks who collected signatures all the way to the 3741 central New Yorkers who voted for a better tomorrow. I’m forever grateful, and looking forward to paying this community back everything that it has given to me.
July 13th 2026
Every political campaign begins with a simple question. "What if?" What if people were ready for something different? What if a campaign powered by volunteers, small-dollar donors, and countless conversations could compete against nearly three decades of incumbency? What if we trusted our neighbors instead of consultants? Several months ago, we decided to find out.
Before we could even formally announce, we knew we needed to create a movement here in Central New York. It needed to be bigger than one campaign. I am forever grateful to my Affordability slate comrades Tammy Honeywell and Jo Bennett. Logistically, a lot of the work you do at the county is managing money given to you by the State. That also means a lot of the money you bring to the district as a state rep is gonna be managed at the county. So personally, I couldn’t move forward if I didn’t feel like the county legislature would be in good hands when I walked away.
As the slate came together, we had a tremendous amount of support right away. Very quickly we had an affordability slate Kitchen Cabinet set up and running. We didn’t all know each other, but we all shared a belief that Syracuse can do better. Our families deserve affordable childcare, our children deserve to drink water that’s clean from lead, and that our community could be one where people can thrive instead of just survive. Through Syracuse DSA we had members step up and assume roles on the three campaigns. Field directors, managers, and even an entire communications team emerged and we very quickly created one of the most formidable election machines in the history of Upstate New York state politics.
We knew we were going against a candidate who had over $260k in a war chest. We knew we’d need to qualify for the public matching program, just to field a viable campaign. We knew it would be tough, but we also knew it was possible if we gave people a movement worth supporting.
Hundreds of grassroots supporters made contributions that allowed our campaign to qualify for New York's public financing program in January of 2026, before we even formally announced. That wasn't just a financial achievement. It was proof that ordinary people could fuel a competitive campaign without relying on wealthy insiders or corporate interests. Every contribution, whether it was five dollars or fifty, represented someone saying, "I believe in this."
I officially announced my political campaign for the New York State Assembly on February 20th, but we had done so much work by even that point. We had been exploring since early December, but Challenging a well-known incumbent is one of the hardest things you can do in politics. If I had a nickel for every time I was told “you should just wait your turn,” I’d have like 13 nickels. Which isn’t a lot of money, but it’s still a lot considering the moment we’re in.
We were told that the voters in Syracuse prefer the status quo because it’s working for them. We were told the democratic voters are okay with the direction of the democratic party. Most people said it couldn't be done, and was a waste of time. Some thought we were asking too much of volunteers. Others wondered whether voters were really looking for a different direction.
What happened over the next several months answered those questions. One conversation at a time, Syracuse built something remarkable.
Running as a member of the Affordability slate was the opportunity of a lifetime. We started by collecting petition signatures in February. We had over 100 people come to our initial canvas launch. Hundreds of people stopped to sign because they believed voters deserved a choice. Volunteers spent evenings after work and weekends walking neighborhoods in the snow and rain simply to ensure democracy had another name on the ballot. By the time petitions were filed, we had done far more than needed for all three campaigns to qualify for the ballot. We had begun building a movement.
As the campaigns grew, so did our coalition.
Community leaders, labor advocates, elected officials, neighbors, students, veterans, and organizations from across New York placed their trust in our campaign. Endorsements from organizations like the Working Families Party, Citizen Action of New York, the Syracuse University College Democrats, Syracuse DSA, and so many others reminded us that this campaign was becoming part of something larger than one Assembly race.
DSA members held a “fun” raiser which served as a grounding moment for the campaign. On top of helping us raise in district donations that helped us take advantage of the public matching program, we were able to build community amongst each other and grow our collective power.
A moment that goes forgotten in recollection of the campaign that meant a lot to me personally was my birthday party. We tried something really creative and instead of a typical political fundraiser, we decided to focus on community building and we held a trivia night. If you know my story, you know my mother passed away May 4th 2018, so it’s been hard to celebrate my May 5th birthday. This year was probably my favorite birthday party as an adult.
There were several meet and greets, and moments that made the campaign special; however, given my my political history, I can confirm receiving the endorsement of Senator Bernie Sanders was deeply personal. More than a decade ago, I was organizing for Bernie because I believed working people deserved a stronger voice in our democracy. To have someone whose campaign inspired so much of my own political journey stand behind our campaign was both humbling and energizing. It reminded me just how far this movement had come.
But endorsements never won elections. People did.
Week after week, volunteers knocked doors across Syracuse, Geddes, and Van Buren. Thousands upon thousands of conversations took place on front porches, apartment buildings, sidewalks, and driveways. We talked about housing costs, healthcare, public schools, transportation, environmental protection and data centers, workers' rights, and making government work better for the people it serves. Those conversations shaped every part of this campaign. They shaped our policy proposals. They shaped our debate preparation. They shaped every speech I gave.
When debate season arrived, I wasn't walking onto those stages with talking points written in a conference room. I was bringing with me the voices of the thousands of residents who had shared their hopes, frustrations, and ideas with our campaign. Whether you watched online, attended in person, or followed along afterward, you helped make those conversations about the future of Central New York.
Not every chapter of this campaign was easy. As Election Day approached, millions of dollars in outside interests continued flowing into politics across New York State , including a Doordash backed independent expenditure from their Super PAC in our own race. Our campaign never changed course. We continued talking about affordability, housing, healthcare, education, public transportation, and building an economy that works for working people because those were the issues people raised with us every single day.
Then early voting began. We actually had record high turnout during early voting. For months we had prepared for those nine days. Volunteers filled canvass launches, phone banks, text banks, visibility events, and literature drops. Some people joined their very first campaign. Others had been organizing for years. Everyone contributed something. Every door mattered. Every phone call mattered. Every conversation mattered.
Then came Election Day. That morning was beautiful seeing so many people show up at 5:30am to do a lit drop. Our election day success is probably directly correlated with the turnout we had that morning. I can say with good confidence, in a race we won by about 100 votes, we probably don’t win if we didn’t have such a robust field operation. We were able to leave lit on 1000s of doors that morning and we won election day by over 5 points on day of.
Election Night. There are several articles about that night at the Westcott theater. Watching the results come in surrounded by volunteers, family, friends, and supporters felt like watching one of those unforgettable Knicks playoff games. Early returns showed us trailing by 19. Then precinct after precinct reported. The margin narrowed. The room became louder.
There was a moment when the race was tied with 3130 votes cast each. I plan on writing an entire blog post on that moment. That moment really made the phrase “knock one more door” mean so much more. Hope grew with every update until, eventually, we had taken the lead by 82 votes.
It was one of the most exciting nights of my life. Of course, Election Night is never the end of the process.
Absentee ballots and affidavit ballots still had to be counted, just as they should be. Every eligible voter deserves to have their ballot counted accurately. Throughout that week, our campaign remained patient, confident, and respectful of the process because democracy deserves nothing less. After they were counted, we declared victory on June 30th 2026.
It was disappointing to see elected Democrats stand idle while big money asserted itself in Syracuse politics. A cooperate Super PAC spent $100k and people who I’ve watched scream “we need to overturn Citizens United” said nothing. I had republicans criticize members of my own party who were fighting for “Term Limits” while also supporting a candidate running for their 15th term. “Environmental stewards” who had nothing to say as their candidate proudly shouted “we need Data Centers” during a discussion about issues in the race. I’m looking forward to hearing from them to learn more why they supported those viewpoints. I think we need to come together as democrats; however, we need to have some hard honest conversations about how we got here.
Looking back now, I realize this campaign was never defined by one endorsement, one debate, one news story, or even one election night. It was defined by thousands of people choosing to believe that change is possible, by first-time volunteers discovering they could make a difference, by neighbors opening their doors to complete strangers and having honest conversations about the future of our community. It was defined by supporters who chipped in what they could because they believed campaigns should belong to ordinary people. It was defined by the simple belief that Syracuse deserves bold, transparent, responsive leadership willing to meet the challenges of today instead of repeating the politics of yesterday.
I want to shout out everyone in our Affordability Slate KC Signal Thread. Whether you voted for me or not, thank you for participating. Whether you volunteered every weekend or simply encouraged us from afar, thank you. Whether you donated, hosted an event, put up a lawn sign, shared a post, attended a debate, or talked to your neighbors about this race, thank you. You helped write this story.
Public service has never been about a single election for me. Long before I became a county legislator, I was organizing because I believed working people deserve a government that works for them. That belief hasn't changed. It never will. Campaigns end. Movements don't. I cannot wait to continue building the future that so many of us spent these past several months fighting for.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Syracuse.
What is Maurice Brown's Election Day message about?
This message is a reflection on Election Day, gratitude for the volunteers and supporters who powered the campaign, and a reminder that democracy depends on every vote being counted. It also looks ahead to the work that continues after Election Day.
Why does Maurice Brown thank volunteers so often?
Grassroots campaigns succeed because of volunteers who knock doors, make phone calls, host events, donate, and encourage neighbors to vote. Their work makes campaigns possible.
How can supporters stay involved after the election?
Supporters can subscribe for updates, volunteer, attend community events, advocate for important legislation, and continue organizing around local issues.
What message does Maurice Brown hope voters take away from this campaign?
That meaningful change is possible when ordinary people organize together, participate in elections, and demand a government that delivers results for working families.