Former New York Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones has refuted rumors that he did not want to challenge then-GOP candidate Mike Lawler two years ago in the district he is currently contesting. Jones, who represented New York’s 17th Congressional District from 2021 to 2023, was reportedly pushed aside before the 2022 midterms by former 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 to these rumors, Jones called the report “laughably untrue,” blaming “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.
