Former Representative Mondaire Jones Clarifies Stance on Squad: They Were Never My ‘Friends’

Former Democrat Rep. Mondaire Jones of New York — who upset progressive allies by endorsing a challenger to Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y. — stated that he has no regrets for snubbing the Squad.

In an interview with Politico on Monday, Jones, who is now running for Congress again, asserted that the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC and the New York Working Families Party, who have turned against him, “were never my true friends.”

Jones maintained that his own Rockland County district also supports his endorsement of pro-Israel George Latimer, a veteran Westchester County executive, over Israel critic and Squad member Bowman in the June 25 Democratic primary.

Having lost his House seat in 2022, Jones is currently running to defeat GOP Rep. Mike Lawler in their competitive Rockland County district — hoping to create some distance from Bowman to attract moderate and Jewish voters, as reported by the New York Times here.

“These people were never my actual friends,” Jones told Politico regarding the snub. “And we saw that in the way they treated me in the summer of 2022 when, despite my progressive record on issues like healthcare, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, Supreme Court reform, and climate action, they either abandoned me or actively worked against me.”

“I would not change anything,” he added.

“What matters to me is the appreciation that people in these actual communities in the Hudson Valley have for me. That, along with my own sense of morality, led me to intervene, given how terrible Mr. Bowman’s behavior has been,” he stated.

In response to left-wing critics who claim Jones is not a true progressive, Jones fired back at “trust-fund socialists” by telling Politico: “I have endured a lot, growing up the way I did, unlike these trust-fund socialists in Williamsburg and elsewhere who suggest that I am not progressive enough.”

“I want those on the left who have been criticizing me to understand the crucial importance of my race in reclaiming the House,” he added.

Jones refutes the claim that his opposition to Bowman enhances his chances of defeating Lawler in November.

“It is remarkable that while I am denouncing the extremes in my own party and beyond — because, let’s face it, many of these individuals do not even identify as Democrats on the far left — Mike Lawler has been attacking the criminal conviction of Donald Trump and, as of this weekend, reaffirming his support for Donald Trump,” he informed Politico.