WASHINGTON — The Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC said Thursday it has rescinded its endorsement of former Rep. Mondaire Jones, D-N.Y., after he endorsed the primary challenger to a prominent Progressive Caucus member and fellow black New York Democrat, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, about Bowman’s criticism of Israel.
It’s an unusual move for the Progressive Caucus, which has generally tried to take a big-tent approach to growing its membership and avoided adopting rigorous ideological litmus tests, sometimes to the disappointment of outside left allies.
“A number of factors led the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC to rescind its endorsement of Mondaire Jones,” said Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC Executive Director Evan Brown, adding that the move “was a unanimous decision by our PAC board.”
The caucus’ campaign arm invested heavily in Bowman’s race, launching a advertising campaign on his behalf last week.
Bowman is locked in a fierce Democratic primary battle with Westchester County Executive George Latimer, where Israel’s war in Gaza has become a central issue. Bowman says “US taxpayer dollars go toward burning children alive,” while Latimer asserts his support for the Jewish state.
The June 25 primaries have become a key point in the broader conflict between the Democratic mainstream and the insurgent left, which seeks to defend Bowman after he won his seat by unseating a 16-term pro-Israel incumbent in 2020.
Jones was also elected in 2020 amid the post-George Floyd wave of progressive activists campaigning on a platform of Medicare for All, the Green New Deal and defunding the police. He and a colleague elected the same year were the first openly gay black members of Congress in history.
Jones lost re-election in 2022 and is now running for a second term in Congress. He is the leading Democrat in the race to face New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who is seen as one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the country.
“I have no regrets about standing up for what I firmly believe in,” Jones said in a statement responding to the Progressive Caucus’ rebuke. “I’ve known and worked with George Latimer for years.”
“Representative. Bowman and I have very different views on Israel,” Jones continued. “I was horrified by his recent acceptance of the DSA endorsement, his denial of the sexual assault of Israeli women by Hamas on October 7, and his rush to call for a ceasefire before Israel could hardly begin to defend itself against the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust.”
Earlier this week, Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., hinted at the change, calling Jones’ decision to support her former colleague’s rival “horrible.”
“Honestly, I’m really disgusted by this,” she told NBC News. “This is a former colleague of his, a sitting member who is a high priority candidate for us, an incumbent for us in the Progressive Caucus.”
Jayapal said she believes Jones supported Latimer “because he thinks it’s obviously politically expedient, but I don’t, and it’s not the way we operate as progressives.”
“We cannot be inconsistent when we have a top priority incumbent who we are spending money on and one of our candidates…who is attacking that person,” she continued. “So we firmly support Jamaal Bowman; we will do everything we can to help Jamaal win. And I hope we get Jamaal back in Congress.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a fellow New York progressive who, like Bowman, is a member of “The Squad,” called Jones’ endorsement of Latimer a “deep disappointment.”
“This directly contradicts the democratic unity we need to practice to win the House and the presidency in November,” Ocasio-Cortez said in an interview this week. “There is enormous support for Bowman across the Democratic Party, from House leadership to the Black and Progressive caucuses.”
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
