Progressive Mondaire Jones wins NY primary to replace Nita Lowey

Progressive Mondaire Jones was declared the winner of the New York Democratic primary to replace Rep. Nita Lowey (D), putting him on track to become one of the first Black openly gay members of Congress. 

Jones defeated seven other contenders in the primary in New York’s 17th District, winning with 44.6 percent of the vote, according to Associated Press results out on Tuesday.

The race was declared three weeks after the June 23 primary after a surge in mailed-in ballots delayed results.

Jones, a lawyer and activist, will be heavily favored to win in November in the heavily Democratic district, and his victory provides progressives with a major victory after a mixed year of results. 

He emerged as the front-runner in the primary, earning a number of high-profile endorsements from influential lawmakers such as Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), as well as the Human Rights Campaign.

Jones was something of a sleeper candidate for months heading into the primary, but was flooded with attention and endorsements from national progressives in the lead-up to the election. He ended up defeating several other more centrist candidates in a district that is majority white and includes a high-income areas like Chappaqua.

Progressives praised his campaign as he surged ahead in the vote tally on June 23.

“LGBTQ people and African Americans are severely underrepresented in the U.S. Congress, but Mondaire’s victory gives hope that we are moving toward a federal government that is more representative of the people it serves. Mondaire’s unique experiences and perspectives as well as his work in criminal justice reform makes him an essential voice for this moment,” said LGBTQ Victory Fund President Mayor Annise Parker.