House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday endorsed Representative Mondaire Jones, a New congressman to first term who is facing an uphill battle in his bid to win a vacant seat in New York City.
After an unusually messy redistricting process, Mr. Jones decided not to resettle in his current county, which includes Rockland County and parts of Westchester County, or in a neighboring county to the south. Or will require him to compete with incumbents, one of whom is the powerful chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
When that seat, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney, announced he would run for Mr Jones’s reconstructed 17th District – drawing opposition from Mr Jones and his allies – Ms. supported Mr. Maloney.
With her endorsement on Monday, Ms. Pelosi revised several things, in the hope that her support could give Mr Jones more traction in a county he only recently moved to.
“Mondaire Jones has delivered real results for the people of New York,” Ms. Pelosi said in a statement provided to The New York Times. The speaker, currently on Asian countries tourMr. Jones is credited for playing a “significant role in passing life-changing legislation that uplifted working families, helped expand access to health care and invested in homes.” at an affordable price.”
New York’s 2022 election
As prominent Democratic officials sought to protect their records, Republicans saw an opportunity to infiltrate general election races.
New York’s messy redistricting process has spawned new maps that have rattled primary competitions across the state, but to a particularly chaotic effect in New York City.
Representative Jerrold Nadler representing District 10 is available through the end of the year. But after reallocation drastically altered county contours, he instead chose to compete with Representative Carolyn Maloney for District 12, which now dominates his Upper West Side political base. .
His decision created a rare open seat in the 10th District, a secure Democratic stronghold that now includes Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, including Sunset Park and Park Slope. That has spark a political gold rushwith about a dozen candidates on the ballot for the August 23 primaries.
Voter turnout at the end of summer is likely to be low, as many voters believed to be on vacation or unaware of the campaign have irregular timings. Its outcome is likely to depend heavily on voter outreach and absentee voting; validation can also play a small factor.
Mr. Jones’ first term in Congress was active. His eagerness for sponsorship and co-sponsor bills has put him on top Axios2021 list of “the most legislatively active freshmen in Congress.” More recently, he co-sponsor legislation to include marriage equality in federal law and another bill that would provided monthly payments for families with children.
“Whether it is through monumental voting protections or securing billions of dollars in new investments in New York City housing, healthcare, and schools, I have worked closely with Speaker Pelosi to bring real results to working families in New York, and I am proud to have her support.” Mr Jones said in a statement.
Mr. Jones has secured the support of a number of other House colleagues, including Representative Pramila Jayapal, who leads the Parliament’s Radical caucus. But recent polls show Mr Jones’ campaign is struggling to stay at the top, and Nydia Velázquez, the congresswoman representing much of the existing area, has authentication one of Mr. Jones’ rivals, Carlina Rivera, a New York City councilwoman.
It was not immediately clear to what extent Pelosi’s endorsement, or whether it was accompanied by any financial support from the House of Representatives PAC or the Democratic funding branch, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. or not. But it can help in other ways.
“Clearly it will be helpful, in that it will draw more attention to what is supposed to be,” said Neal Kwatra, a Democratic strategist who worked with former mayor Bill de Blasio. a tough campaign. run away for the same seat.
But Mr Kwatra warned that voters who cast ballots will be well informed about the election in an unusual way and will have strong opinions on candidates who are unlikely to be swayed by approval. politics.
“The people who end up voting in this election, they will be very sophisticated and very clear about why they vote and who they vote for,” he said.
