WORKING FAMILIES PARTY ALSO PULLS ITS FUNDING AND SUPPORT OF MONDAIRE JONES AND THE HITS KEEP COMING
Its been a rough week for former congressman Mondaire Jones who inserted himself into the contentious New York 16th Congressional District race by endorsing Westchester County executive George Latimer, the AIPAC-backed challenger over incumbent congressman Jamaal Bowman. In the process, Jones has provoked the displeasure of his former progressive colleagues in the House.
First he had his Black Card revoked by key members of The Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) the highest ranking African American woman appointed to Democratic Leadership, serving as Co-Chair of the Policy and Steering Committee and former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (111th Congress) and co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (109th & 110th Congresses), Rep Summer Lee (D-PA) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.).
“He positioned himself as Squad-adjacent during his time in Congress,” Rep. Cori Bush, a member of the progressive caucus who hails from Missouri, said in an interview. “And then now, when it is beneficial to him, he will go against someone who actually was there for him.”
Other progressives rallied in support around Bowman this week, including fellow New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D), who said “Dem unity means supporting Bowman.” Now the Congressional Progressive is taking back their endorsement of Jones.
“A number of factors led to the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC rescinding the endorsement of Mondaire Jones,” Evan Brown, the PAC’s executive director, said in a statement. “This was a unanimous decision of our PAC board.”
The CPC said Thursday, June 6th, it has rescinded its endorsement of former Rep. Mondaire Jones, D-N.Y., after he endorsed the primary challenger to a top Progressive Caucus member and fellow Black New York Democrat, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, over Bowman’s criticism of Israel.
Wednesday, June 5th, the CPC PAC notified the Mondaire for Congress campaign that it has rescinded its endorsement due to Jones’ endorsement of Latimer over Bowman.
The NY-17 Democratic congressional candidate tells Black Westchester: “I have no regrets about standing up for what I firmly believe in. I have known and worked with George Latimer for years. I used to represent thousands of people in what is now New York’s 16th Congressional District, and have deep relationships there.”
Earlier this week, Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., hinted at the move, calling Jones’ decision to back his former colleague’s rival “horrific.”
“Honestly, I’m just so disgusted by it,” she told NBC News. “This is a former colleague of his, an incumbent member who is a top-priority candidate for us, an incumbent for us in the Progressive Caucus.”
Jayapal said she believes Jones endorsed Latimer “because he thinks it’s obviously politically expedient, but I don’t, and it’s not the way we operate as progressives.”
“We can’t be inconsistent where we have a top-priority incumbent that we’re spending money on, and one of our candidates … who is attacking that person,” she continued. “So we stand firmly behind Jamaal Bowman; we’re going to do everything we can to help Jamaal win. And I hope we have Jamaal back in Congress.”
Latimer has the support of 12 Democratic county committees, former governor David Paterson, the Civil Service Employees Association, and former representative Eliot Engel, whom Bowman unseated during his first bid for Congress. Bowman has been backed by Democratic leadership in the chamber, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Representative Nydia Velázquez, Senator Bernie Sanders, the United Auto Workers, and the Working Families Party, which seems unconcerned by Jones’s snub of the congressman.
“We don’t give much weight to the endorsement. Voters know that Jamaal shows up for his district, and has since his days as a principal and teacher,” said Ravi Mangla, a spokesman for the Working Families Party, in a statement.
The influential New York Working Families Party is also pulling its funding and ground support for Democrat Mondaire Jones after he threw his fellow Democrat Jamaal Bowman under the political bus this week by endorsing his opponent in a tough Congressional primary. it was all good just a week ago!
If the CPC un-endorsed Jones for supporting Latimer, they are sending a clear message to CE Latimer that they do not consider him the progressive he touts himself to be. In the words of Kendrick Lamar, the CPC is saying “They Not Like Us.”
Jews for Jamaal react to Mondaire Jones endorsement of George Latimer
In response to the news that former Member of Congress Mondaire Jones endorsed George Latimer in the NY-16 primary “to stand up for my Jewish constituents,” Jews for Jamaal released the following statement from Ron Lieberman, a Jewish resident of Piermont, NY:
“My wife and I were initially thrilled to have someone like Mondaire Jones to support for Congress. But as proud Jews, we are deeply disappointed that he would go out of his way to endorse George Latimer, whose campaign is being funded by MAGA donors and the pro-war lobby AIPAC, the same people supporting Mike Lawler. I was shocked to learn that Mondaire Jones himself has received over $200,000 from AIPAC throughout his career. And I find it deeply offensive that Jones claimed to be doing this for his Jewish constituents – this move reeks of opportunism.”
On the point about Republican money, the Jews for Jamaal coalition added:
“As a diverse coalition of New York Jews, we reject continued use of Republican money to interfere with Democratic Party primaries with the aim of unseating a popular progressive Black Democrat. As a Congressmember, Jamaal Bowman has a solid track record delivering for this district which is precisely why Republicans are choosing not to fight for votes in the general election with ideas, but in our own party’s primaries with their own agenda. We know that when the organized money doubles up on antidemocratic tactics, organized people will double down on our grassroots support.”
