Rep. Mondaire Jones is the 34-year-old Congressman representing New York’s 17th District, serving Westchester and Rockland Counties. In 2020, he won a hard-fought, eight-person primary with 42% of the vote, before going on to win the general election 59-35%, with the Council’s support. He made history as the nation’s first openly gay, Black member of Congress.
Following redistricting, Jones will now be running in New York’s open 10th district to avoid a dicey incumbent vs. incumbent primary. The 10th district is the biggest change on New York’s new congressional map, composed of portions of five current districts, and spans lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. The primary field is already crowded for the August 23rd primary for this solid blue seat.
A product of East Ramapo, NY public schools, Jones was raised in subsidized housing and on food stamps in the Village of Spring Valley by a single mother who worked multiple jobs to provide for her family. He later graduated from Stanford University and Harvard Law School. Prior to running for Congress, he worked at the Department of Justice during the Obama Administration and as a litigator in the Westchester County Law Department.
Jones was elected unanimously by his colleagues as Freshman Representative to House Democratic Leadership, and he was appointed a Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Co-Chair of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus. He serves on the House Judiciary, Education and Labor, and Ethics committees, where he has established himself as a leader on issues of democracy reform, civil rights, childcare and climate.
He is a passionate advocate for a more just foreign policy for our country. He supports a more responsible defense budget, reinvesting in the State Department, and a diplomacy-first approach to U.S. foreign policy. On the Council’s issues, Jones has had a perfect voting record so far in Congress.
