John Mannion (American politician)

John W. Mannion (born July 8, 1968) is an American politician. A Democrat, he is currently a member of the New York State Senate representing the 50th district. He was first elected in 2020. Prior to becoming a state senator, Mannion was a biology teacher. Mannion was elected to the 50th district of the New York State Senate in 2020, defeating Republican Angi Renna and becoming the first Democrat to hold the seat in more than 50 years.

In June 2024, several Senate staffers accused Mannion of harassing and abusing his staff, creating a hostile work environment. Mannion denies the allegations. The New York State Senate has opened an investigation, which Mannion has agreed to cooperate with.

Mannion is the Democratic nominee in NY's 22nd congressional district election for 2024. He is challenging incumbent Congressman Brandon Williams.

Education and teaching career
Mannion received a bachelor's degree in biology from Binghamton University and later attended SUNY Oswego, earning a Master's of Science in secondary science education. Mannion became a high school biology teacher, teaching Biology in the West Genesee Central School District, where he also served as president of the West Genesee Teachers' Association.

New York State Senate
In 2018, Mannion ran for New York State Senator in New York's 50th district and was narrowly defeated by incumbent Republican Bob Antonacci. In 2020, he ran for the seat again and won with 52.57% of the vote over Republican Angi Renna.

2022 was a hotly contested year for the 50th Senate district. Mannion was predicted to lose. On election night, before counting the absentee ballots, Rebecca Shiroff led by 396 votes. After a recount, Mannion was certified the winner by New York State Supreme Court Justice Scott Delconte. He had won the election by 10 votes, making it the closest race in the 2022 New York State Senate elections. In 2023, he announced he would be leaving the Senate to run for New York's 22nd congressional district in the 2024 election. Mannion won the Democratic primary against Sarah Klee Hood, and will go on to face incumbent Brandon Williams.

Hostile working environment allegations
On June 18, 2024, three former staffers who claim to have previously worked for Mannion accused him and his wife of fostering a hostile work environment. This included sexist, homophobic, retaliatory, and harassing comments or actions. Mannion has denied these allegations, and the New York State Senate opened an ethics investigation with which he said he would fully cooperate.

Committee assignments
Mannion is the chairperson of the Committee on Disabilities. He also serves as a member of the following committees:
 * The Committee on Children and Families
 * The Committee on Civil Service and Pensions
 * The Committee on Education
 * The Committee on Environmental Conservation
 * The Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development
 * The Committee on Internet and Technology