Citizen Action of New York hosted a rally in front of the Broome County Courthouse in downtown Binghamton to celebrate the results of the midterm elections and demand that newly elected Democrats deliver on campaign promises.

The Nov. 7 rally was part of a coordinated “Democracy Defense” event by Citizen Action across New York state, with rallies in Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, White Plains, New York City, Binghamton and Utica.

“Now is our time to hold the leaders we helped elect accountable, so they fight with us and for us, not for corporations or wealthy donors,” said Carolyn Martinez-Class, the co-executive director of Citizen Action of New York in a press release. “We’ll celebrate these wins, keep building our people power, and we won’t stop organizing until the promises made on the campaign trail become real change in people’s lives.”

Community leaders Omar Acosta-Nunez ‘25, lead community organizer for the Southern Tier chapter of Citizen Action of New York; Salka Valerio, campaigns co-director for Citizen Action; Linda Quilty, co-lead for Indivisible Binghamton; and Travis Bryden MSW ‘26, a member of Binghamton Solidarity for Palestine, led the rally.

Rally leaders called for accountability for newly elected officials to enact policies that address the rising cost of living and the United States’ involvement in wars, said Acosta-Nunez in an interview with Pipe Dream. During the rally, he also criticized recent policy that would slash funding to government assistance programs.

“We now call on our elected officials at every level to fulfill their promises during their tenure in office and seize the moment to leap into bold decisiveness,” said Acosta-Nunez at the event. “At the federal level, we call on the newly elected majority to undo the damages brought on by the first two years of the Trump administration, and work to not only mitigate, but completely reverse the destruction that will be brought on by the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ when it fully comes into effect on January 1, 2027.”

The sweeping “One Big Beautiful Bill,” signed on July 4, will implement a work requirement for Medicaid. The law will also expand the work and nationality requirements for SNAP and will require states to cover 15 percent of SNAP costs. SNAP was previously fully funded by the federal government. While some policies under the bill took effect immediately, others will not be enforced until 2028.

Rally leaders argued state leaders should mitigate cuts to government assistance programs through state funding to ensure individuals maintain access to housing, healthcare and groceries.

“At the state level, we call on the assembly, the senate and the governor to work to protect New Yorkers all across the state from the disaster the present administration has subjugated us to,” said Acosta-Nunez. “This means passing universal healthcare, fully funding assistance programs, ensuring tenant protections and investing in our communities by taxing the ultrawealthy, ensuring that they pay their fair share.”

Acosta-Nunez argued that Democrats in local office must work to protect tenants and address the housing crisis in Binghamton with investment toward expanding affordable housing, lowering costs for Broome County residents and developing necessary infrastructure. Further, he argued local officials should protect the community from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Following the momentous win for Democrats nationwide, speakers at the rally argued this is an important time to keep organizing.

“The election may be over, but the movement is not,” said Valerio. “We didn’t organize this hard just to hand people power and then walk away. We organized to change people’s lives, and we’re going to keep fighting until we see that change. All power to the [people].”