How Mondaire Jones is wielding influence in midterms without an office

• Rep. Mondaire Jones is without a seat to run for, but that doesn’t mean he’s not wielding his influence in the midterm elections.
• Early in his freshman tenure, Jones started a leadership PAC, often used by ambitious politicians to wield influence, campaign finance experts say.
• Jones, forced out of his seat due to a contentious redistricting process, said he’s working to elect Democrats in the district he’s leaving, but he didn’t endorse Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney by name.

Even as he’s set to leave Congress, Mondaire Jones has sought to wield influence in the upcoming midterm elections — including the Hudson Valley district he’s leaving behind.

The freshman Democrat, representing parts of Westchester and all of Rockland counties, formed a political action committee early in his tenure to further his policy goals and to elect other like-minded politicians across the country.

But after a convoluted redistricting process left him with an unsuccessful primary run in New York City, he’s attempting to sway voters in key races that decide control of the House of Representatives.

That’s unfolding in the newly drawn 17th District, where the head of House Democratic campaigns, Sean Patrick Maloney, who currently represents the 18th district, is running in a tight, nationalized race against Republican Assemblyman Mike Lawler. 

“Our majority in the House runs through the Hudson Valley,” Jones, 35, told the USA TODAY Network New York.

Midterms 2022:Maloney, Lawler race sees national attention, money, flow into 17th Congressional District

Attack ads:Kathy Hochul using fundraising advantage to attack Lee Zeldin’s abortion stance

Supporting Democrats ‘up and down the ballot,’ but Maloney?

On Saturday, Jones led voter outreach events in northern Westchester.

“When I’m out campaigning for Democrats in New York’s 17th Congressional District, that benefits Democrats up and down the ballot,” Jones said.

Will he endorse Maloney specifically? He didn’t comment. 

Maloney, of Cold Spring, lives in the new 17th District. Jones, of White Plains, was drawn out, even though most of his current district is housed within the new 17th, which excludes parts of lower Westchester County and includes communities in Putnam County and parts of Dutchess County, more GOP-friendly areas.

Meanwhile, Maloney, 56, campaigned on Saturday on the other side of the Hudson River, in Rockland, with former President Bill Clinton. Maloney’s the chair of the powerful Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and has attracted visits from prominent surrogates — including President Joe Biden and, on Sunday, a fundraiser with First Lady Jill Biden — to stave off an upset as polls suggest Democrats could lose the House to Republicans. Millions of dollars have poured into Maloney’s race.

In a statement, Maloney called Lawler “MAGA Mike” with extremist views, while thanking Jones for his work. “We’re all in this fight together,” he said.

Lawler’s campaign spokesperson Bill O’Reilly said Maloney’s “white privilege” forced Jones, who is Black, out of the district. “In a contest of character between the two,” O’Reilly said, “Mondaire wins hands down.”

Jones cited a Steuben County judge’s decision to throw out maps by state Democratic lawmakers in place of a special master’s map that makes New York’s districts more favorable to Republicans and less so to Democrats.

Jones sees himself as one of the map’s casualties, which likely represents fewer Black members of New York’s congressional delegation. Black and Latino Democrats criticized Maloney’s decision to run in the redrawn 17th District, reportedly without Jones’ knowledge.

Jones is campaigning for Josh Riley and Rep. Pat Ryan, two Democrats further up the Hudson. Down the ballot, he’s working to re-elect state Sen. Pete Harckham. In the days leading up to the election, he went to Georgia to stump for Sen. Raphael Warnock in a race that could decide which party holds the Senate, and Stacey Abrams in her second bid for governor.

After the Hudson Valley events, Jones traveled to Arizona, to campaign with Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego before a “Roundtable on a Woman’s Right to Choose” with Black women leaders. The weekend before the election, he has stops in Ohio.

Post-Ida:Westchester’s new flood history disclosure law is in effect. What to know

PACs: Fund signaling further ambitions for Jones?

Jones’ events were connected to his Policy is Personal leadership PAC.

This type of committee allows elected officials to raise funds and spend it on travel or building their profile. They can also direct funding toward other candidates, and fund expenses ineligible to be paid for by a campaign or congressional office, said OpenSecrets, a watchdog nonprofit that tracks campaign finance.

Leadership PACs act as funds for politicians to further their ambitions, said David Primo, a professor of political science and business administration at the University of Rochester. 

“The leadership PAC, when he formed it, it was a signal to the world,” he said of Jones. “I’m not just going to be in the background, one of 435 members. I want to be a visible leader within the institution.”

Jones launched his leadership PAC just months into office. In founding it, he pointed to his own background, which he said is unusual for Congress. His single mother raised him in Section 8 housing. He’s a member of the Black and LGBTQ communities.

“There are a variety of reasons having to do with fundraising as to why you don’t have more working-class, diverse people in Congress,” he said. “Policy is Personal PAC aims to rebalance those scales.”

After his unsuccessful congressional bid in New York City, Jones is focused on helping Democrats in key races. He’s given $168,000 to candidates in the current cycle, nearly all going toward members in the House. In the closing days of the election, the Policy is Personal PAC had over $41,100 cash on hand, according to a recent filing.

Jones’ leadership PAC hadn’t contributed to Maloney’s campaign, but it recently sent $350 to the Westchester County Democratic Committee, which has endorsed Maloney. The Hudson Valley PAC, Maloney’s leadership PAC, contributed $5,000, the maximum amount, to Maloney’s campaign, in the latest pre-election filing. The Hudson Valley PAC has made contributions to Maloney’s campaign in past elections.

Closing days of tight election

Local Democratic groups have noted how a typically blue stronghold in New York City’s suburbs could be lost in a Republican wave. They’re happy to have Jones energize canvassers because of his popularity in the area.

“The fact that he’s a huge draw, that’s really what we need,” said Maria Slippen, the chair of the Cortlandt Democratic Committee, where Jones had his first event in Westchester starting at Vassallo Park. 

The event billed Jones at the top. Maloney’s campaign also attended.

In the 17th District, the fallout over redistricting that pitted Democrats against one another has been replaced by electing Maloney in a tough election year, said John Gromada, the chair of the Rockland Democrats and an early Jones supporter.

“It’s between those guys now,” he said. “For us, it’s all in the past. It’s a closed book.”

Eduardo Cuevas covers race and justice for the USA TODAY Network of New York. He can be reached at EMCuevas1@gannett.com and followed on Twitter @eduardomcuevas.