Mondaire Jones, a Democratic congressional candidate for the fiercely contested 17th district seat in New York, found himself in hot water after a Twitter post he made about Rep.
Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) was widely condemned as anti-Semitic.
The controversial post, which Jones has since deleted, featured a photograph of McCarthy in conversation with Hasidic Jewish leaders. The caption read, "Well this was a waste of everyones time," a comment made in light of McCarthy's recent removal as House speaker.
The tweet sparked immediate backlash, with critics including members of Jones's own party. "This disgusting post is insulting to Jewish people and every person of faith," stated Josh Gottheimer (D., N.J.). Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D., Fla.) also weighed in, suggesting that Jones's decision to highlight a specific religious group was not accidental.
Jones, who is vying for a seat currently held by a Republican and seen by Democrats as a significant potential gain, swiftly removed his post. He denied that it was intended as an affront to religious Jews. "
My point was to communicate that Kevin McCarthy, and by extension Mike Lawler, cannot possibly deliver for communities in Rockland because hes no longer speaker," Jones explained. He expressed regret that his original message was not clear enough, leading to its deletion. "I am proud of my record of combating antisemitism in Congress," he added.
Following Jones's response, both Gottheimer and Moskowitz retracted their criticisms. Jones, who first entered Congress in 2021, left office last year after the boundaries of his district were redrawn. He is now campaigning for a seat currently occupied by Republican representative Mike Lawler.
Throughout his political career, Jones has been known as a staunchly left-wing politician, supporting the "defund the police" movement and aligning himself with "squad" members such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) and Jamaal Bowman (D., N.Y.).
However, in the face of a competitive House race, Jones appears to be repositioning himself as a moderate. He recently released a campaign ad featuring him shaking hands with a local police chief and emphasized his "great relationship with AIPAC" in a New York magazine interview.
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