Mondaire Jones

Mondaire Jones

Democratic Party, Working Families Party

Candidate, U.S. House New York District 17

Prior offices

U.S. House New York District 17

Successor: Michael Lawler

Predecessor: Nita Lowey

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Elections and appointments

Next election

June 25, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Stanford University, 2009

Law

Harvard Law School, 2013

Personal

Birthplace

Nyack, N.Y.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal LinkedIn

Mondaire Jones (Democratic Party, Working Families Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent New York's 17th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on June 25, 2024.^[source] He declared candidacy for the Working Families Party primary scheduled on June 25, 2024.^[source]

Jones (Democratic Party) was a member of the U.S. House, representing New York's 17th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2021. He left office on January 3, 2023.

On May 20, 2022, New York adopted new congressional maps, and Jones announced that he would be running for the redrawn 10th Congressional District instead of the 17th Congressional District.

Biography

Mondaire Jones was born in Nyack, New York. Jones earned a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University in 2009 and a J.D. from Harvard University Law School in 2013. Jones’ career experience includes working with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Policy, with Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, and as an attorney with the Westchester County Law Department.

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2021-2022

Jones was assigned to the following committees:^[Source]

• Committee on Ethics
• Committee on Judiciary
• Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law
• Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet, Vice Chair
• Committee on Education and the Workforce
• Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee
• Workforce Protections Subcommittee

Key votes

See also: Key votes

Ballotpedia monitors legislation that receives a vote and highlights the ones that we consider to be key to understanding where elected officials stand on the issues. To read more about how we identify key votes, click here.

Key votes: 117th Congress, 2021-2023

The 117th United States Congress began on January 3, 2021 and ended on January 3, 2023. At the start of the session, Democrats held the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives (222-213), and the U.S. Senate had a 50-50 makeup. Democrats assumed control of the Senate on January 20, 2021, when President Joe Biden (D) and Vice President Kamala Harris (D), who acted as a tie-breaking vote in the chamber, assumed office. We identified the key votes below using Congress' top-viewed bills list and through marquee coverage of certain votes on Ballotpedia.

Key votes: 117th Congress, 2021-2023
Vote	Bill and description	Status
Yea	Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act   The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684) was a federal infrastructure bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on November 15, 2021. Among other provisions, the bill provided funding for new infrastructure projects and reauthorizations, Amtrak maintenance and development, bridge repair, replacement, and rehabilitation, clean drinking water, high-speed internet, and clean energy transmission and power infrastructure upgrades. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (228-206)
Yea	American Rescue Plan Act of 2021   The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on March 11, 2021, to provide economic relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Key features of the bill included funding for a national vaccination program and response, funding to safely reopen schools, distribution of $1,400 per person in relief payments, and extended unemployment benefits. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (220-210)
Yea	Inflation Reduction Act of 2022   The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (H.R. 5376) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on August 16, 2022, to address climate change, healthcare costs, and tax enforcement. Key features of the bill included a $369 billion investment to address energy security and climate change, an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, allowing Medicare to negotiate certain drug prices, a 15% corporate minimum tax, a 1% stock buyback fee, and enhanced Internal Revenue Service (IRS) enforcement, and an estimated $300 billion deficit reduction from 2022-2031. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (220-207)
Yea	Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act   The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (H.R. 3617) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to decriminalize marijuana, establish studies of legal marijuana sales, tax marijuana imports and production, and establish a process to expunge and review federal marijuana offenses. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (220-204)
Yea	For the People Act of 2021   The For the People Act of 2021 (H.R. 1) was a federal election law and government ethics bill approved by the House of Representatives. The Congressional Research Service said the bill would "expand voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting). It [would also limit] removing voters from voter rolls. ... Further, the bill [would address] campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosure of campaign-related fundraising and spending, requiring additional disclaimers regarding certain political advertising, and establishing an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices." The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (220-210)
Yea	Assault Weapons Ban of 2022   The Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 (H.R. 1808) was a bill passed by the House of Representatives that sought to criminalize the knowing import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of semiautomatic assault weapons (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding devices (LCAFD). The bill made exemptions for grandfathered SAWs and LCAFDs. It required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (217-213)
Nay	National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022   The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (S. 1605) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 27, 2021, authorizing Department of Defense acitivities and programs for fiscal year 2022. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (363-70)
Nay	James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023   The James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (H.R. 7776) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 23, 2022, authorizing Department of Defense activities and programs for fiscal year 2023. The bill required a 2/3 majority in the House to suspend rules and pass the bill as amended.	Passed (350-80)
Yea	American Dream and Promise Act of 2021   The American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 (H.R. 6) was an immigration bill approved by the House of Representatives that proposed a path to permanent residence status for unauthorized immigrants eligible for Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Enforced Departure, among other immigration-related proposals. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (228-197)
Yea	Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022   The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (S. 3373) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on August 10, 2022, that sought to address healthcare access, the presumption of service-connection, and research, resources, and other matters related to veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during military service. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (342-88)
Yea	Chips and Science Act   The Chips and Science Act (H.R. 4346) was a bill approved by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on August 9, 2022, which sought to fund domestic production of semiconductors and authorized various federal science agency programs and activities. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (243-187)
Yea	Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021   The Women's Health Protection Act of 2021 (H.R. 3755) was a bill passed by the House of Representatives. The bill proposed prohibiting governmental restrictions on the provision of and access to abortion services and prohibiting governments from issuing some other abortion-related restrictions. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (218-211)
Yea	SAFE Banking Act of 2021   The SAFE Banking Act of 2021 (H.R. 1996) was a bill passed by the House of Representatives that proposed prohibiting federal regulators from penalizing banks for providing services to legitimate cannabis-related businesses and defining proceeds from such transactions as not being proceeds from unlawful activity, among other related proposals. Since the House moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill in an expedited process, it required a two-thirds majority vote in the House.	Passed (321-101)
Yea	Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022   The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (H.R. 2471) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on March 15, 2022, providing for the funding of federal agencies for the remainder of 2022, providing funding for activities related to Ukraine, and modifying or establishing various programs. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (260-171)
Yea	Equality Act   The Equality Act (H.R. 5) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that proposed prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system, among other related proposals. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (224-206)
Yea	Respect for Marriage Act   The Respect for Marriage Act (H.R. 8404) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 13, 2022. The bill codified the recognition of marriages between individuals of the same sex and of different races, ethnicities, or national origins, and provided that the law would not impact religious liberty or conscience protections, or provide grounds to compel nonprofit religious organizations to recognize same-sex marriages. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (258-169)
Yea	Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023   The Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (H.R. 6833) was a bill approved by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on September 30, 2022. It provided for some fiscal year 2023 appropriations, supplemental funds for Ukraine, and extended several other programs and authorities. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (230-201)
Yea	Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act   The Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act (H.R. 7688) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to prohibit individuals from selling consumer fuels at excessive prices during a proclaimed energy emergency. It would have also required the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether the price of gasoline was being manipulated. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (217-207)
Yea	Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021   The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 (H.R. 8) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to prohibit the transfer of firearms between private parties unless a licensed firearm vendor conducted a background check on the recipient. The bill also provided for certain exceptions to this requirement. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (227-203)
Yea	Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act   The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act was a federal elections bill approved by the House of Representatives and voted down by the Senate in a failed cloture vote that sought to, among other provisions, make Election Day a public holiday, allow for same-day voter registration, establish minimum early voting periods, and allow absentee voting for any reason, restrict the removal of local election administrators in federal elections, regulate congressional redistricting, expand campaign finance disclosure rules for some organizations, and amend the Voting Rights Act to require some states to obtain clearance from the U.S. Department of Justice before implementing new election laws. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (220-203)
Yea	Bipartisan Safer Communities Act   The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (S. 2938) was a firearm regulation and mental health bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on June 25, 2022. Provisions of the bill included expanding background checks for individuals under the age of 21, providing funding for mental health services, preventing individuals who had been convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor or felony in dating relationships from purchasing firearms for five years, providing funding for state grants to implement crisis intervention order programs, and providing funding for community-based violence prevention initiatives. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (234-193)
Yea	Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.   This was a resolution before the 117th Congress setting forth an article of impeachment saying that Donald Trump (R) incited an insurrection against the government of the United States on January 6, 2021. The House of Representatives approved the article of impeachment, and the Senate adjudged that Trump was not guilty of the charges. The article of impeachment required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (232-197)
Yea	Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022   The Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act was a bill passed by the 117th Congress in the form of an amendment to a year-end omnibus funding bill that was signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 23, 2022. The bill changed the procedure for counting electoral votes outlined in the Electoral Count Act of 1887. Elements of the bill included specifying that the vice president's role at the joint session of congress to count electoral votes is ministerial, raising the objection threshold at the joint session of congress to count electoral votes to one-fifth of the members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, identifying governors as the single official responsible for submitting the certificate of ascertainment identifying that state’s electors, and providing for expedited judicial review of certain claims about states' certificates identifying their electors. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (225-201)

Elections

2024

See also: New York's 17th Congressional District election, 2024

New York's 17th Congressional District election, 2024 (June 25 Republican primary)

New York's 17th Congressional District election, 2024 (June 25 Democratic primary)

General election

The primary will occur on June 25, 2024. The general election will occur on November 5, 2024. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 17

MaryAnn Carr and Mondaire Jones are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 17 on June 25, 2024.

		Candidate
		MaryAnn Carr
		Mondaire Jones

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Elizabeth Gereghty (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House New York District 17

Incumbent Michael Lawler is running in the Republican primary for U.S. House New York District 17 on June 25, 2024.

		Candidate
		Michael Lawler

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Conservative Party primary election

Conservative Party primary for U.S. House New York District 17

Incumbent Michael Lawler is running in the Conservative Party primary for U.S. House New York District 17 on June 25, 2024.

		Candidate
		Michael Lawler

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Working Families Party primary election

Working Families Party primary for U.S. House New York District 17

Mondaire Jones and Anthony Frascone are running in the Working Families Party primary for U.S. House New York District 17 on June 25, 2024.

		Candidate
		Mondaire Jones
		Anthony Frascone

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2022

See also: New York's 10th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House New York District 10

Daniel Goldman defeated Benine Hamdan and Steve Speer in the general election for U.S. House New York District 10 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Daniel Goldman (D)	83.5	160,582
		Benine Hamdan (R / Conservative Party)	15.1	29,058
		Steve Speer (Medical Freedom Party)	0.8	1,447
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7	1,260

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 192,347
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Mondaire Jones (Working Families Party)
• Matthew Goldstein (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 10

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 10 on August 23, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Daniel Goldman	25.9	18,505
		Yuh-Line Niou	23.6	16,826
		Mondaire Jones	18.1	12,933
		Carlina Rivera	16.5	11,810
		Jo Anne Simon	6.1	4,389
		Elizabeth Holtzman	4.4	3,140
		Jimmy Jiang Li	1.6	1,170
		Yan Xiong	1.0	742
		Maud Maron	0.9	625
		Bill de Blasio (Unofficially withdrew)	0.7	519
		Brian Robinson	0.5	341
		Peter Gleason	0.2	162
		Quanda Francis	0.2	129
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	100

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 71,391
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• John Herron (D)
• Patrick Dooley (D)
• Ian Medina (D)
• David Yassky (D)
• Elizabeth Kim (D)
• Brad Hoylman (D)

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Benine Hamdan advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House New York District 10.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Helen Qiu (R)
• Michael Ragusa (R)

Conservative Party primary election

The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Benine Hamdan advanced from the Conservative Party primary for U.S. House New York District 10.

Working Families Party primary election

The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Incumbent Mondaire Jones advanced from the Working Families Party primary for U.S. House New York District 10.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• John Herron (Working Families Party)

2020

See also: New York's 17th Congressional District election, 2020

New York's 17th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 23 Republican primary)

New York's 17th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 23 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House New York District 17

Mondaire Jones defeated Maureen McArdle Schulman, Yehudis Gottesfeld, Joshua Eisen, and Michael Parietti in the general election for U.S. House New York District 17 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mondaire Jones (D / Working Families Party)	59.3	197,354
		Maureen McArdle Schulman (R)	35.2	117,309
		Yehudis Gottesfeld (Conservative Party)	2.7	8,887
		Joshua Eisen (ECL Party)	1.9	6,363
		Michael Parietti (Serve America Movement Party)	0.8	2,745
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	214

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 332,872
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 17

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 17 on June 23, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mondaire Jones	41.6	32,796
		Adam Schleifer	16.2	12,732
		Evelyn Farkas	15.5	12,210
		David Carlucci	11.0	8,649
		David Buchwald	8.5	6,673
		Asha Castleberry-Hernandez	2.6	2,062
		Allison Fine	2.0	1,588
		Catherine Parker (Unofficially withdrew)	2.0	1,539
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7	532

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 78,781
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Duane Jackson (D)
• Delter Guin (D)
• George John-Bosco (D)
• David Katz (D)
• John Jabbour (D)
• Lola Osoria (D)
• Jo-Anna Rodriguez-Wheeler (D)
• Catherine Borgia (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House New York District 17

Maureen McArdle Schulman defeated Yehudis Gottesfeld in the Republican primary for U.S. House New York District 17 on June 23, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Maureen McArdle Schulman	76.2	8,492
		Yehudis Gottesfeld	21.0	2,338
		Other/Write-in votes	2.8	310

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,140
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jarred Buchanan (R)
• Joshua Eisen (R)

Conservative Party primary election

The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Yehudis Gottesfeld advanced from the Conservative Party primary for U.S. House New York District 17.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Yehudis Gottesfeld (L)

Serve America Movement Party primary election

The Serve America Movement Party primary election was canceled. Michael Parietti advanced from the Serve America Movement Party primary for U.S. House New York District 17.

Working Families Party primary election

The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Mondaire Jones advanced from the Working Families Party primary for U.S. House New York District 17.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Mondaire Jones has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Mondaire Jones asking him to fill out the survey. If you are Mondaire Jones, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for.  More than 16,000 candidates have taken Ballotpedia's candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here.

You can ask Mondaire Jones to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing info@mondaireforcongress.com.

2022

Mondaire Jones did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Jones' campaign website stated the following:

“	RESTORING OUR DEMOCRACY For too long, our political system has been rigged to serve the interests of corporations and the super rich at the expense of working people. I am a Black person who is outraged by the right-wing assault on the voting rights of people of color in America. I am a gay person who is horrified by what has become an annual ritual: spending the month of June, every year, waiting to see if the Supreme Court will vote to take away my civil rights. And this issue isn’t just personal to me: it’s personal to all of us. Strengthening our democracy must be our priority if we truly want to enact change. We will not make strides toward guaranteeing health care for all, saving the planet from climate catastrophe, or ending gun violence if we don’t address the root of the problem. That’s why we must fight to increase public participation in our electoral process and get Big Money out of politics. Since day one, I have refused to take money from corporations, and I was proud to lead in the fight to pass H.R. 1, the For the People Act, in the House, which if passed by the Senate would guarantee automatic voter registration, enact critical campaign financing reform, and end reckless, partisan gerrymandering through mandating independent redistricting commissions. I support restoring balance to the Supreme Court in order to have a majority committed to voting rights, and in April 2021, I introduced legislation that would expand the Supreme Court to 13 justices. GUARANTEEING HEALTH CARE AS A RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE The coronavirus pandemic has exposed many of the gaps in our existing social safety net. The global pandemic we face demonstrates the need for health care as a human right, regardless of income or employment, as well as mandatory paid sick leave. Timely testing and treatment are essential to stopping the spread of coronavirus. Even before the pandemic, 87 million Americans were either uninsured or underinsured, preventing them from getting necessary medical care. In the richest nation in the history of the world, health care should be a right, not a privilege. That’s why I support Medicare for All, which would insure every American with comprehensive health care (including dental, vision, and long-term care) while capping the annual cost of prescription drugs and lowering overall costs to families, small businesses, and the government. CHAMPIONING THE RIGHTS OF WORKING PEOPLE My grandfather was a janitor, and my grandmother cleaned homes. I was raised by a single mom who had to work multiple jobs just to put food on the table. I understand the struggles facing American workers because I’ve lived them myself, and those principles have guided my work in Congress. Although the cost of living in this country is soaring, wages have remained stagnant for decades. I’m proud to have voted for the Raise the Wage Act this Congress, and I support raising the federal minimum wage to $15/hour, permanently indexed to inflation, for all workers. Although New York has seen some increases in recent years, this is simply not enough for families across New York City which ranks among the most expensive places to live in the country. I know that our country is strongest when we have a vibrant middle-class, and that’s why we must enact labor laws that protect all of our communities. All workers deserve the right to negotiate for proper pay, safe working conditions, and the benefits they deserve. I support the power of workers to organize and bargain collectively, and I proudly helped pass the PRO Act in the House, which ensures working people can organize without fear of retaliation. The PRO Act would end misleading “Right to Work” laws and close tax loopholes that encourage jobs and investments to be outsourced. I’m proud to be supported by a number of local and state labor unions, who know I am fighting for them. That also means treating our essential workers with the dignity they deserve. I support hazard pay, providing the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) they need to work safely, and instituting labor protections that will outlast this pandemic. PROVIDING A QUALITY EDUCATION TO ALL As the product of public schools, which helped me rise from humble economic circumstances, I know firsthand the transformative power of public education. I owe so much to my incredible teachers, administrators, and other staff, who provided the support and encouragement that got me where I am today. I also know that, unfortunately, my story is the exception and not the rule. We must fight harder for equal opportunity in our country. As a member of Congress, I serve on the House Education and Labor Committee, where I spend every day fighting for public school students and teachers. I was proud to earn the support of the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the National Educators Association (NEA) in my first campaign. In Congress, I’m fighting to increase funding for public education as well as expand access to free pre-kindergarten through a partnership between the federal government and the states. I also know firsthand that America faces a devastating student debt crisis. Thousands of people throughout New York City, despite having college degrees, must live at home with their parents because they can’t afford to be out on their own as renters or homeowners. We must forgive student debt to liberate an entire generation to fully participate in our economy, such as through homeownership, the single biggest generator of wealth in the United States. And, in order to prevent crushing student debt from accumulating in the future, student debt forgiveness should be paired with tuition-free public college moving forward. FIGHTING FOR OUR FAMILIES Hundreds of thousands of children across New York City live below the poverty line. I, too, grew up poor in New York. When child care was too expensive, my grandmother had to take me to work with her as she cleaned homes. No child should have to accompany a guardian to work. Today, in more than half the states in America, a year of child care costs more than a year of in-state college tuition. My mother was lucky to have my grandparents’ help in taking care of me, but many children are not so lucky. We cannot leave our children behind. I support universal child care, and I was proud to introduce the Universal Child Care and Early Learning Act with Senator Elizabeth Warren, which would ensure universal access to child care and pre-K. I also led the successful fight to include provisions from this universal child bill in the version of Build Back Better that passed the House. SAVING OUR PLANET Our planet is in peril. According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, we have 10 years remaining to prevent irreversible damage to Earth due to global warming. And, as Superstorm Sandy reminds us, this is a local as well as a global issue. We must address the climate crisis with the urgency this moment demands. That’s why I am a proud cosponsor of the Green New Deal, which would create 20 million good-paying jobs while transitioning America to 100% renewable energy. The Green New Deal ensures a just transition to green jobs for workers in the fossil fuel industry who are displaced and provides dedicated support to our most at-risk communities. We have a responsibility to end corporate tax cuts to fossil fuel companies and invest in new, sustainable infrastructure across the country. We also need to limit our reliance on automobiles and transition to high-speed and light rail powered by clean, renewable energy sources. In most parts of Rockland County, an individual has to drive or take a bus to get into New York City or Westchester County. I am fighting for a one-ride train from Rockland into New York City and Westchester in President Biden’s infrastructure plan, which will make Rockland County more accessible and more attractive to young families. I am also advocating to restore and expand light rail, which we previously had in communities like Ossining and Peekskill. PROTECTING A WOMAN’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE It should not be the place of the government or politicians like Donald Trump to intervene in a woman’s ability to make decisions about her own body. I support women’s access to the full range of reproductive healthcare services, and I believe that women should be able to make these deeply personal healthcare decisions for themselves. That’s why I was proud to earn the support of leading pro-choice groups like Planned Parenthood Action Fund and NARAL Pro-Choice America in my campaign for Congress. Unfortunately, the Trump Administration and the Republican Party have systematically undermined women’s reproductive freedom. The federal government must step in to protect civil rights — and it cannot leave those rights up to the extreme conservative majority on the Supreme Court. I support codifying Roe v. Wade by statute, repealing the Hyde Amendment, and ensuring that any Medicare for All legislation includes coverage for the full range of reproductive services. TACKLING SYSTEMIC RACISM Growing up Black in America, it is my lived experience that people of color face unique and pervasive challenges in this country. I got my start in politics as a freshman at Spring Valley High School, when I reactivated the Spring Valley NAACP Youth Council. At the age of 19, I chaired a committee on the NAACP’s National Board of Directors. Institutional discrimination touches all facets of life in America, from health care to employment to criminal justice to housing. We must fight to achieve equality and dismantle systemic racism so that we are all able to participate fully in this society. With law enforcement officers engaging in miscarriages of justice on both systemic and individual levels, I believe Congress has a responsibility to enact comprehensive federal oversight measures, in conjunction with state and local action. We must honor the memories of people unlawfully killed by the police by listening to the demands of their family members for justice, ensuring that law enforcement officers are held accountable, and moving towards a society where the institution of policing plays less of a role in Black and Brown communities. This is why I was proud to help pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in the House, and now the Senate must do the same. We also need to overhaul the way we approach criminal justice policy in this country and invest in policies and programs that support formerly incarcerated individuals and prevent them from returning. That’s why I support banning the consideration of criminal convictions in hiring decisions when the nature of the conviction is irrelevant to the job’s duties. We must also guarantee the right to counsel for defendants in civil cases and give judges discretion to consider the totality of a defendant’s circumstances in making sentencing decisions by ending mandatory minimums in sentencing. It also means supporting the legalization and regulation of cannabis, as New York and other states have done. FIXING OUR BROKEN IMMIGRATION SYSTEM I would not be here today had my paternal grandfather not immigrated to New York City from Kingston, Jamaica generations ago. Immigrants are the backbone of our society, from our economy to our personal relationships. Immigrants are our family members, friends, neighbors, and loved ones. I support creating a fair pathway to citizenship for our undocumented brothers and sisters, revamping our visa system, and codifying DACA in order to protect our young people. I was proud to help pass the American Dream and Promise Act in the House, which would protect our Dreamers by putting them on a pathway to permanent residency. I also believe we must reform our immigration court system to provide the capacity to process asylum claims and hear all immigration cases. ADVOCATING FOR OUR LGBTQIA COMMUNITY I’m proud to serve as one of the two first openly gay, Black members of Congress in United States history and as a Co-Chair of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus. While there is no question that tremendous progress has been made for our LGBTQIA community, we still have so far to go. Unfortunately, with rates of transphobic and homophobic hate crimes rising, many in our LGBTQIA community live under the threat of danger. LGBTQIA youth are twice as likely to be homeless than their straight and cisgender counterparts. In Congress, I was proud to help pass the Equality Act, which would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. I support comprehensive changes to our housing, health care, and education systems so LBGTQIA youth have a guaranteed roof over their heads, reliable medical care, and a quality education. KEEPING OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE I was in sixth grade when Columbine happened. As afraid as I was back then, I never imagined mass shootings would become the new normal. Gun violence is an epidemic in this country, and Americans deserve to live without fear of violence in our schools, movie theaters, nightclubs, synagogues, churches, and mosques. I’ll always put the safety of our communities first, which is why my campaign does not take a dime from corporate PACs or the gun lobby, and why I’m proud that I earned an “F” rating from the NRA. I support common-sense policies like universal background checks, a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and a mandatory buyback of all assault weapons in the hands of civilians. I was proud to help pass bills in the House that would enact universal background checks and close the Charleston loophole. I also support allowing civil liability for manufacturers, distributors, and sellers of firearms who negligently market or provide their products to people who should not have them. FIGHTING FOR OUR VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES ‍In Congress, I’m fighting to make sure all members of our communities have the support and resources they deserve. Tens of millions of Americans live with a disability, and millions more care for a loved one with a disability. For too long, their needs have been overlooked, and they can and should be incorporated into our broader public policy. That’s why I’m fighting for Medicare for All, which guarantees healthcare services and supports without waitlists or asset or income restrictions. I also support expanding Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income to end the backlog of over 800,000 cases, which forces people with disabilities to wait years for needed assistance. And I will fight to end the subminimum wage — which in some jobs is currently less than $1 per hour — for workers with disabilities, while guaranteeing jobs and living wages in the community for all. I support efforts to expand social security benefits and am fighting to protect Social Security and Medicare, including standing up to efforts to privatize Social Security and cut Medicare benefits. I am also fighting to lower prescription drug prices, and I oppose efforts to narrow eligibility requirements for Social Security and SNAP benefits. We also have a responsibility to ensure the well-being of veterans who put their lives on the line to serve our country. Too often, veterans do not receive the care and support they deserve after returning home. 20 percent of veterans experience major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, and many do not receive adequate and timely treatment. Over 40,000 veterans are homeless, and 1.4 million more are at risk of homelessness. That’s why I’m committed to expanding veteran access to jobs and training, as well as making it easier for veterans to access education benefits. We must also provide veterans with disabilities quick and streamlined access to the support that they need, which is often delayed due to bureaucratic backlogs. STOPPING ENDLESS WARS The United States has been at war for most of my life — wars that have led to hundreds of thousands of people being killed and millions more displaced. We were led into the disastrous war in Iraq under false pretenses. The war in Afghanistan has been raging for almost 19 years. We are contributing to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, in Yemen, by providing weapons to the Saudi-led coalition. Extreme war powers, and a reluctance by members of Congress to exert oversight, enabled the Trump Administration to bring us dangerously close to the brink of war with Iran. Climate change is already helping to fuel further conflict and violence, due to its impacts on food and water sources, droughts, and other natural disasters. Enough is enough. Our national security depends on a sane approach to American foreign policy that centers diplomacy, peace, human rights, and cooperation on the challenges facing our world. We must stop fighting endless wars. We must repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), which has given the executive branch a blank check to pursue foreign wars having nothing to do with the September 11th attacks. I am proud to cosponsor a bill that would do precisely that. We must work to bring an end to existing conflicts, including the war in Afghanistan, through inclusive peace processes that center human rights, including women’s rights. I also support barring the sale of weapons to human rights violators, including Saudi Arabia, as well as redirecting funds towards conflict prevention, including through development aid to reduce poverty and inequalities and combat climate change. ADVANCING A DIPLOMACY-FIRST FOREIGN POLICY Our budgets reflect our values and priorities. Currently, the United States has chosen to prioritize investing in war and weapons ahead of providing for the basic needs of our people. The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) allocates a whopping $738 billion dollars for military spending. We spend more than approximately the next seven countries combined. It is estimated that we have spent almost $6 trillion dollars on the so-called War on Terror alone. The United States maintains hundreds of costly military bases in dozens of countries throughout the world. As a member of Congress, I believe we must reduce military spending and reinvest this money in the State Department, to strengthen diplomacy and peacebuilding, as well as domestically, in programs that meet the needs of our civilian population. I support prioritizing investment in human security approaches, which focus on meeting the human needs of people and protecting our environment. ANIMAL RIGHTS As humans, we share our earth with millions of species of animals. All too often animals are not treated with the respect and care they deserve, and instead are exploited and abused for profit and human sport. Our modes of agriculture and economic development have often come at a terrible cost: climate change, environmental degradation, and the destruction of habitats. We must act to ensure animal welfare and protect wildlife habitats. PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS The COVID-19 pandemic devastated New York City. We were the epicenter, with more cases than any other city in the country long before there was a vaccine. Hospitals were pushed to the brink of collapse, sirens wailed day and night, and tens of thousands of New Yorkers died. Our economy was torn to shreds and job losses skyrocketed. And whether it was the public health impact or the economic devastation, it was communities of color and low-income neighborhoods who disproportionately felt the pain. The pandemic then tore at the fabric of society, and leaders in Washington encouraged it, leading to a spike in hate crimes against AAPI New Yorkers and increased gun violence across the city. We still haven’t fully comprehended the total impact of the pandemic on New York City. But we must resolve to never allow a catastrophe like this to occur again. We must transform New York City from a place that was the pandemic epicenter into a global leader in pandemic prevention and response. As a member of Congress, I will continue to push the federal government to invest billions in New York City to do exactly that. That means investing in systems that effectively assess biosecurity risks, building our capabilities in research of likely pathogens, and developing prototype vaccines to quickly deploy their life-saving abilities the next time they are needed. We can prevent future pandemics if we invest now. Doing so will save money and save lives. But to accomplish this, we need leaders in Washington who are willing to stand up for these priorities. I am proud to be a leader on this issue because I’ve seen the devastation caused to New York’s working people and am committed to doing everything we can today to prevent future pandemics.	”
—Mondaire Jones

2020

Mondaire Jones completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Jones' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Mondaire is an attorney, nonprofit leader, and activist. He was born and raised in NY-17, where he saw firsthand how working families like his have been shut out of the American Dream by the failure of members of Congress to fight for the people they represent. Mondaire will be a different kind of leader. He's been fighting his entire life-whether in the courtroom, as an activist, or against the odds of his upbringing. Now he's ready to take the fight to Washington. Mondaire grew up in the Village of Spring Valley to a young, single mother who worked multiple jobs just to provide for their family, even with the help of section 8 housing and food stamps. He followed his mother's advice to dream big, earning degrees from Stanford University and Harvard Law School. He worked in President Obama's administration at the Department of Justice, vetting candidates for federal judgeships and working on criminal justice reform. He also was a corporate lawyer at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and then a litigator in Westchester County's Law Department. Mondaire is the co-founder of Rising Leaders, Inc., a nonprofit that teaches professional skills to underserved middle-school students in three American cities.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• For me, policy is personal. I grew up in section 8 housing and on food stamps, raised by a single mom who worked multiple jobs to provide for our family. I know what it's like to work hard and still need government to help.
• I am a progressive champion who will fight for working people. This is why, unlike my opponents, I don't accept corporate PAC money. Representatives should always fight for the best interests of their constituents, rather than their corporate donors.
• Senator Elizabeth Warren endorsed me because she recognizes I am a progressive champion who will fight for big, structural changes and because I represent the future of the Democratic Party.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I support a Green New Deal because nothing else comes close to averting the climate catastrophe that is imminent if we do not mobilize the federal government to unprecedented, large-scale action. We cannot afford modest proposals. A Green New Deal would create millions of good-paying jobs while saving the planet.

I believe healthcare should be a human right in a nation as wealthy as the United States of America, and I support universal healthcare so that no one is left uninsured or underinsured. Everyone deserves necessary medical care, and we see that clearly in the midst of the coronavirus global pandemic.

I support tuition-free public colleges and universities, along with student debt forgiveness, to liberate an entire generation of people to meaningfully participate in our economy through home ownership and paying rent on their own. Currently, thousands of people in my district, despite having college degrees, must live at home with their parents because they cannot afford to be out on their own.

We must end gun violence by requiring universal background checks and banning assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and so-called "ghost guns." We must also allow liability for gun manufacturers, distributors, and sellers. At the same time, we must provide security assistance to places of worship, including synagogues, churches, and mosques.

We must increase funding for our public schools. I know firsthand that a quality education is our society's great equalizer.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was working at McDonald's in the summer before high school.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Mondaire Jones campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. House New York District 17	Candidacy Declared primary	$3,904,490	$860,670
2024*	U.S. House New York District 17	Candidacy Declared primary	$3,904,490	$860,670
2022	U.S. House New York District 10	Disqualified general	$3,696,475	$4,422,718
2020	U.S. House New York District 17	Won general	$3,005,460	$2,207,871
Grand total			$14,510,915	$8,351,929
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

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U.S. House New York District 17

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Footnotes

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New York's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Kirsten Gillibrand (D)

Chuck Schumer (D)

Representatives

District 1

Nicholas LaLota (R)

District 2

Andrew Garbarino (R)

District 3

Tom Suozzi (D)

District 4

Anthony D'Esposito (R)

District 5

Gregory Meeks (D)

District 6

Grace Meng (D)

District 7

Nydia Velazquez (D)

District 8

Hakeem Jeffries (D)

District 9

Yvette Clarke (D)

District 10

Daniel Goldman (D)

District 11

Nicole Malliotakis (R)

District 12

Jerrold Nadler (D)

District 13

Adriano Espaillat (D)

District 14

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D)

District 15

Ritchie Torres (D)

District 16

Jamaal Bowman (D)

District 17

Michael Lawler (R)

District 18

Pat Ryan (D)

District 19

Marcus Molinaro (R)

District 20

Paul Tonko (D)

District 21

Elise Stefanik (R)

District 22

Brandon Williams (R)

District 23

Nick Langworthy (R)

District 24

Claudia Tenney (R)

District 25

Joseph Morelle (D)

District 26

Vacant

Democratic Party (17)

Republican Party (10)

Vacancies (1)