Chad Ryan wins Onondaga County Legislature 8th District Democratic primary
Ryan kept the 8th District seat in Democratic hands with 57.5% of the vote, preserving his role in county fights over the aquarium and Friends of the Zoo.
Chad Ryan won the Democratic primary for the Onondaga County Legislature’s 8th District, taking 57.5% of the vote in unofficial results and 847 votes in the county’s election-night tally. The result keeps one of the legislature’s most closely watched seats aligned with the party that took control of the county chamber in 2025 and leaves Ryan positioned to shape spending fights tied to county facilities and public attractions.
Ryan’s win came over Tammy Honeywell, a union leader backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, in a race she cast as part of an affordability slate that also included Legislator Maurice “Mo” Brown and legislature candidate Jo Bennett. Honeywell said conversations with constituents showed that affordability was a major issue and that worries about county spending were resonating. She also said the coalition had “started something wonderful,” as she pressed for stronger accountability in local government.
Ryan said after the victory that he was “fortunate in chairing” the legislature’s facilities committee, a post that has put him at the center of disputes over the county aquarium project and over the county’s treatment of Friends of the Zoo. That committee role gives the 8th District legislator an early hand in some of the county’s most visible budget and development arguments, especially as Democrats try to show they can govern after decades out of power.
A funeral director and former Syracuse Common Council member, Ryan stepped away from politics in 2019 before returning to win the seat in 2025 and again in this year’s rematch with Honeywell. He will be the Democratic nominee in November and is expected to face Brandon Camperlino in the general election. Ryan said the primary result reflected voter confidence in the new Democratic majority’s work so far, a signal with implications well beyond the 8th District as Onondaga County continues adjusting to a legislature Democrats only won last year, ending about 50 years of Republican control.
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