Hudson Valley’s Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney admits fumbling Democratic redistricting fracas with Rep. Mondaire Jones
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) admitted mishandling the redistricting civil war that effectively forced fellow Democratic lawmaker Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) out of his suburban district.
The powerful Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee leader admitted offending many in his party by big-footing Rep. Mondaire Jones, a popular progressive rising star.
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) (Manuel Balce Ceneta/)
“I know there are a lot of strong feelings about it and I think I could’ve handled it better,” Maloney said in a new interview with News12 Westchester.
He accurately boasted that in the end “we avoided a member-on-member primary.”
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But Maloney still faces a progressive primary challenge from state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (D-Bronx) who secured endorsements from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and the Working Families Party.
NOW - "I could have handled it better"
- Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney clears the air re decision to run in NY-17, which led to @MondaireJones running for NY-10. @RepSeanMaloney remains front runner in newly drawn district and says he best reflects priorities of voters pic.twitter.com/C039Gws1Kl— Tara Rosenblum (@tararosenblum) July 25, 2022
Jones had to move to another part of the metro New York City area to run in a newly created district spanning lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn.
“It was going to be a difficult decision either way,” Maloney said. “I decided to run where I live.”
Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) (Andrew Harnik/)
The lawmaker raised hackles when a court-appointed special master redrew district maps, creating two options for Maloney: a new NY-18 that shifted his district slightly upstate and another, NY-17, that encompassed most of the district that Jones now represents.
Many Democrats hoped Maloney would run in NY-18 and clear the path for Jones in NY-17, a move that arguably would’ve given the party its best chance of holding both seats.
Instead, Maloney blindsided Jones and progressives by announcing he would run in NY-17, which is somewhat more Democratic than the other one. That gives Republicans a fighting chance to pick off NY-18.
Facing an ugly choice, Jones decided to move into lower Manhattan to compete in the crowded race for the new NY-10 district.
