Mondaire Jones denies he ducked GOP Rep. Mike Lawler in 2022, slams ‘disgruntled, anti-Israel extremists’
Former New York Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones rejected “rumors” Friday claiming that he didn’t want to challenge then-GOP candidate Mike Lawler two years ago in the district Jones is contesting this cycle.
Jones represented New York’s 17th Congressional District from 2021 to 2023, which included all of Rockland and part of Westchester County.
However, City & State reported Friday that Jones, now 37, had no qualms about being pushed aside before the 2022 midterms by then-Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney after NY-17 was redrawn to include Putnam and parts of Dutchess counties, making it more GOP-friendly.
In response, Jones — who unsuccessfully ran to represent Lower Manhattan and brownstone Brooklyn in the 10th congressional district in 2022– called the report “laughably untrue” and blamed “disgruntled, anti-Israel extremists” who oppose his endorsement of Westchester County Executive George Latimer, a pro-Israel candidate, over “Squad” Rep. Jamaal Bowman in the neighboring 16th District’s Democratic primary.
“Given that the entire world saw Sean Patrick Maloney publicly announce his decision to run in the 17th district without consulting me, the rumors started this week by disgruntled, anti-Israel extremists following my endorsement of George Latimer are laughably untrue,” Jones told The Post in a statement.
“I am looking forward to running in my home district where I was born and raised in the Lower Hudson Valley this cycle and retaking the House majority.”
Maloney, who lost to Lawler by fewer than 2,000 votes, opted to run in the 17th District after redistricting following the 2020 census carved up the former congressman’s 18th district and pushed his hometown of Cold Springs into Jones’ domain, setting up a potential primary showdown.
“Sean Patrick Maloney did not even give me a heads-up before he went on Twitter to make that announcement,” Jones told Politico after Maloney made the decision in May 2022. “And I think that tells you everything you need know about Sean Patrick Maloney.”
But according to City & State, which cited sources familiar with the conversation, the then-DCCC chair had approached Jones privately and offered to let him run with a free hand in NY-17.
Jones declined the offer, per the report, because of the more challenging race and because he had his heart set on primarying Bowman in NY-16 — with Jones’ campaign even paying for internal polling to test the waters about his viability.
“The broader grassroots coalition was intent that he run in [NY-]17. And he would not entertain running in 17,” said one of those sources, a former senior aide to Jones.
“He was intent on running in 16, so we decided to poll in 16 to find just how disastrous a decision that would be,” added the ex-aide, claiming that Democratic operatives discouraged the congressman from the move.
Federal campaign finance filings show the Jones campaign paid $25,000 to data analytics firm EMC Research in May 2022.
“The poll came back — obviously it was a sufficiently high hurdle to clear that Mondaire did not feel he could do it in the 90 days we had,” the former aide said, recalling the survey having shown “a 35-point spread,” with Bowman polling at over 50% support and Jones at 20% support.
“I did not want to run against a fellow black progressive,” Jones told Axios in August 2022, adding that he also didn’t want to challenge Maloney, who Jones called “the guy whose primary job responsibility is to fend off fascism.”
After his loss to current Rep. Dan Goldman in the 10th District, Jones moved back to Westchester County, and is expected to face Lawler for control of the 17th district, which is rated as a toss-up by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
The DCCC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Mondaire Jones’ complete utter lack of commitment to the people of Hudson Valley is not shocking but still pathetic,” National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokeswoman Savannah Viar said in a statement. “His self-serving political cravenness is disqualifying.”
Both candidates currently have campaign war chests of roughly $3 million, per Federal Election Commission filings.
On Wednesday, both the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC and New York Working Families Party rescinded their 2024 endorsements of Jones for his own decision to back Latimer.
In a statement, the campaign said the congressman chose Latimer because the county executive would “stand up for his Jewish constituents,” whereas Bowman has made his anti-Israel views well known.
“I have been horrified by his recent acceptance of the DSA endorsement, his denial of the sexual assault of Israeli women by Hamas on October 7, and his rush to call for a cease-fire before Israel could hardly begin to defend itself against the worst assault on Jews since the Holocaust,” Jones added in a Thursday statement about Bowman.
“It’s disgusting,” “Squad” Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) told Semafor after Jones snubbed Bowman on Monday with the endorsement. “Is that who he wants to be? Someone that the members can’t even trust? Someone that the members know will be your friend one day, and then as soon as it’s beneficial to him, will completely not only turn on you, but will go and support the person that is challenging you?”
“Yikes,” Lawler posted on X in response. “Even the squad is angry at @MondaireJones for his duplicity.”
While shedding his “progressive” affiliation in a post-midterms interview with New York magazine, Jones pledged in his statement after the endorsements were pulled that if elected, he “will continue to be a champion for the policies I have long advocated, including lowering costs for working families, restoring women’s reproductive freedom, protecting Social Security and Medicare, implementing transformative climate action, banning assault weapons, and fighting for universal health care.”
He will still appear on the ballot line for the state Working Families Party, since candidates cannot be removed based on rescinded endorsements.
