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Former Representative Mondaire Jones launched his comeback bid for Congress on Wednesday. Jones, the first of two openly gay Black men in the House, was elected in 2020 to represent a district just north of New York City. But after a newly drawn congressional map placed him in the same district as Representative Sean Patrick Maloney, then the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Jones opted to run instead in a lower-Manhattan and Brooklyn district. Jones lost in the primary to now-Representative Dan Goldman, and in a stunning upset, GOP Representative Mike Lawler defeated Maloney.

Now Jones is seeking to reclaim the lower–Hudson Valley district, rolling out his campaign with endorsements from more than 100 local officials. Joe Biden carried the old 17th congressional district by 20 percentage points, compared to 10 percentage points in the new district. (The governor and attorney general of New York are appealing for the right to redraw the map.) But Lawler isn’t the only opponent Jones is facing: First, he will need to prevail in the primary, which includes Liz Gereghty, a former member of the Katonah-Lewisboro school board and the younger sister of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The Run-Up spoke with Jones about his campaign, and the challenges ahead. The interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

The Run-Up: Mike Lawler won this district in a bit of an upset in 2022. Why do you think that you’re the best candidate to defeat him?

Mondaire Jones: Well, Mike Lawler has also told a number of people that, had I been the Democratic nominee, he would not have run against me, because he thought that he would have lost against me. I think that speaks to the fact that even Mike Lawler understands the strength of my candidacy, and for good reason. My constituents were very pleased with my record of delivering tangible results for the people of the lower Hudson Valley, and I for one never imagined that one day I would wake up and see a redistricting debacle in New York state like what we saw last year.

I’m from this district; in particular, I’m from Rockland County, which is a critical voting bloc. I am someone who is very committed to representing the communities that raised me. And I think you see that in the testimonials, both in the video that I released today and in the many months to come on what will be a very long campaign.

[Author’s note: When I asked Lawler’s campaign if Lawler said he would not have run against Jones, a spokesperson replied, “Let’s just say, not exactly …” then continued: “While it’s true that Congressman Lawler told people he was surprised that Mr. Jones ran away from the 2022 race and carpetbagged to another district instead of fighting for his seat, Mike was then—and is now—more than happy to run against someone with Mr. Jones’s far-left voting record.”]

TRU: Do you feel like you have unfinished business in Congress?

M.J.: I do. The work of saving democracy itself is unfinished, [including] the Senate filibuster of voting rights legislation and other democracy reforms that I co-authored. And now fascism is even more ascendant within the Republican Party, with the likely Republican nominee for president saying he will pardon the insurrectionists from January 6. The work of protecting basic freedoms, like the freedom of women to have an abortion, is unfinished work. We passed the Women’s Health Protection Act [in the House], but now we have to do it again in the House and in the Senate. And I definitely want to continue lowering the cost of prescription drugs, not just for people on Medicare, which we were able to do in the Inflation Reduction Act last year, but for people throughout our society regardless of their age.

We still have a uniquely American epidemic of gun violence in this country, largely because of Republican obstruction of commonsense reforms like assault weapons ban[s] and universal background checks. We have to get Mike Lawler out of Congress and restore the Democratic majority in the House in order to pass that legislation once and for all.

TRU: You mentioned that redistricted map. It’s arguable that the Republican majority this year ran through New York. Why do you think that so many districts in New York flipped Republican, and how do you correct that this time around?

M.J.: There were unique things happening in New York state politics last year, and uniquely bad decisions that were made by certain Democrats that collectively created the crisis we are now experiencing in this country, where New York and California are responsible for the Republican majority in the House. A self-described Republican drew, single-handedly, the congressional maps that we are now living with, which is why there is litigation as we speak to have the Independent Redistricting Commission redraw those maps.

In the 17th district, there was a lack of enthusiasm for the Democratic nominee and feeling wrong [about] redistricting that led [people] to either not come out to vote, to leave their ballots blank, or to even vote for another candidate for Congress.

TRU: You wouldn’t be willing to say who those “certain Democrats” who made “uniquely bad decisions” are, would you?

M.J.: [Laughs] Oh, no. I think it’s a matter of public record.

TRU: You already have the National Republican Campaign Committee and a primary opponent of yours, Liz Gereghty, saying that you left your constituents in the lurch by running in the 10th district in 2022, and now running in the 17th district. How do you respond to those criticisms? And do you think that your voters might be a bit resentful of that?

M.J.: It is extraordinary to see a Democratic candidate for Congress adopt GOP talking points regarding the nightmare redistricting last year that everyone saw for what it was. My constituents know that I didn’t wake up one day and decide not to represent the community that raised me and that means so much to me. They understood that my decision to avoid a bruising Democratic primary in a swing district was intended solely to increase the likelihood that they would continue to be represented by someone who would protect democracy and freedoms like abortion, and continuing to cut costs for working people like the family I grew up in. My constituents, to a person, whether I am in the grocery store or just walking streets, do not blame me for redistricting last year, and have urged me to represent them once again. That is exactly why I’m doing this.

TRU: Can you tell me a bit more about your strategy for reaching out to voters and ensuring that your community really feels as if you care about them and want to represent them?

M.J.: We have a four-county strategy of engaging with voters of all political stripes. It’s why I’m so proud that on the list of 109 in-district elected officials and party chairs, I’ve got a lifelong Republican who serves on the Rockland County legislature speaking to my effectiveness and endorsing my campaign. That is what being rooted in the community, and having grown up in Rockland County in particular, means for my candidacy and for this district.

Trivia, tips, and pet pics

We want to hear from you! What was the goal of Ron DeSantis’s homophobic campaign ad? How did you celebrate your Fourth of July weekend/Tuesday?

Or do you want to enter our weekly dog and cat photo contest (winner at the bottom)? Email us: dstrauss@tnr.com and gsegers@tnr.com.

Segment two

For political reporters it’s the most wonderful time of the year: the time when campaigns have to file quarterly finance reports. There are always tons of gems hidden in these if you know where to look and are a political junkie. Because this has been an annoyingly weird workweek, we decided to devote some space here to rounding up some of the big Federal Election Commission quarterly fundraising reports. They are below:

• Representative Adam Schiff, who is running for Senate, raised an eye-popping $8.1 million.
• Senator Tammy Baldwin raised $3.2 million, her campaign announced.
• Senator Bob Casey raised $4 million, his campaign announced.
• Representative Colin Allred raised $6.2 million, according to The Texas Tribune.
• The Arizona Republican Party had less than $50,000 in cash reserves, according to Reuters.
• Missouri Democrat Lucas Kunce raised $1.2 million, according to The Kansas City Star.

Document of the week

In light of this being the first TRU after July 4, this week’s document is the Declaration of Independence. Image courtesy of the National Archives.

News and views

Local flavor

Mayor for Hire: Francis Suarez’s wealth boomed while he promoted Miami as tech capital, by Sarah Blaskey, Tess Riski, and Joey Flechas in The Miami Herald

Meagan Wolfe finds herself back where she started as elections chief: In the middle of a firestorm, by Molly Beck and Jessie Opoien in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Zeldin’s inroads highlight changing dynamics in Assembly for Democrats, by Joshua Solomon in The Albany Times Union

Ohio abortion rights supporters file more than 700K signatures to make the November ballot, by Jessie Balmert in The Columbus Dispatch

Some Dems worry Newsom’s 28th Amendment plan could open up a constitutional Pandora’s box, by Shira Stein and Sophia Bollag in The San Francisco Chronicle

Defeated for governor last year, Darren Bailey sets his sights on Congress and a downstate GOP primary with Mike Bost, by Rick Pearson in The Chicago Tribune

Long reads

What Democrats can accomplish when they control a whole state, by Grace Segers in The New Republic: “The party had a Minnesota legislative ‘bonanza,’ passing abortion protections, paid family leave, and a child tax credit, among a raft of new laws.”

DeSantis, furries, and Trump merch: I went to the Moms for Liberty summit, by Kate Briquelet in The Daily Beast: “Conservative parents, Bible-thumpers, and atheist moles all gathered in Philly over the weekend to court GOP candidates and thunder against the woke.”

The DNC has a primary problem, by Ross Barkan in The New York Times Magazine: “The White House wanted South Carolina to vote first in 2024. The Democratic National Committee obliged. It hasn’t gone according to plan.”

The push for legal weed faces hostile ground in red states, by Mona Zhang, Paul Demko, and Natalie Fertig in Politico: “There are increasing signs of a legalization backlash in deep red America: Voters in four states—Arkansas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, and South Dakota—have rejected adult-use referendums in the last nine months.”

Conservatives go to red states and liberals go to blue as the country grows more polarized, by Nick Riccardi in the Associated Press: “Americans are segregating by their politics at a rapid clip, helping fuel the greatest divide between the states in modern history.”

Got a long read you’d like to share? Email us, and we’d be happy to include it in next week’s newsletter.

Yankee Doodle Dandy

This week’s winner of our weekly pet photo contest is Yankee Doodle, submitted by Representative Chris Deluzio. Yankee Doodle is a rambunctious, patriotic little sweetie who loves freedom but hates fireworks (a hot yet correct take). He lives in western Pennsylvania with his humans: Deluzio, his wife, Zoë, and their three kids. Happy Independence Day/Week from Yankee Doodle!