Two union groups have now endorsed Democratic candidate John Mannion for a central New York state Senate seat.

The North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters and Ironworkers Local 60 are both throwing their weight behind Mannion, they announced Thursday.  

“Our Council will always work to ensure and preserve fair labor standards and fight for sustainable capital construction programs which can create jobs and stimulate the economy,” Dave Haines, the Western New York regional manager of NASRCC, said in a statement. “At the same time, we understand it is necessary to protect our members from proposals which would weaken their ability to secure work at appropriate wages. That is why we are supporting John Mannion in the April Special Election.”

The seat was left vacant after former Senator Bob Antonocci retired to become a state Supreme Court judge. Mannion ran against Antonocci in 2018, but lost by 2 percentage points.

The Auburn Police and Fire Fighter unions, New York State United Teachers, and AFSCME Council 66 are now all behind Mannion in his bid for the Senate seat.  

Gov. Andrew Cuomo set a special election to fill this seat for April 28, the same day as the Democratic presidential primary. Some, like the Onondaga County Republican chair, are calling the special election rigged since they say the only people who will turn out to vote that day are Democrats voting in the primary.

Angela Renna, president of the Sterling Financial Group in Liverpool, is running against Mannion on the Republican side.