Syracuse voters are choosing between four candidates to be their next mayor as they head to the polls one final time.
Two of the candidates are independents providing voters an alternative to the major party contenders. Syracuse University political science professor Grant Reeher said despite their determination, Tim Rudd and Alfonso Davis will have a minimal impact on the overall race.
“I don't think the people that are going to vote for them are going to be exclusively made up of folks that normally don't vote at all, but they turn out for these two individuals," Reeher said. "Will they bite in enough to make a difference in any meaningful way? No, I don't think so.”
It’s also an uphill battle for Republican Tom Babilon, who’s giving it a second try. It’s been nearly 30 years since Syracuse last voted-in a Republican mayor. But Professor Reeher said Roy Bernardi's victory in 1997 followed an especially bruising Democratic primary that left that party's candidates with little money and a negative public image. Now the circumstances are even worse for the GOP, he said.
“Not only do you have the party registration going against you in huge proportion, but you also have the current national political climate, which is just going to energize local Democrats.”
But not everything is looking rosy for the Democratic party, either. Back in June, voters chose Sharon Owens in the primary. It was the third consecutive time voters went against the party’s preferred nominee. Reeher said the committee just doesn’t reflect the primary voting base.
“I don't think it indicates in and of itself a crisis for the Democratic Party in Syracuse, but it is something that the party probably needs to look at and think about," he said. There's been a number of these cases now where the person that they select not only has lost in a primary, but has lost pretty badly.”
This time, it was Pat Hogan. Reeher said the disconnect is worth considering even when the Democratic candidate is almost always a strong favorite in a general election.
