Mondaire Jones is sorry not sorry

Jun 10, 2024

With help from Rich Mendez

Rep. Mondaire Jones speaks during a news conference.

Mondaire Jones told Playbook he has support in the lower Hudson Valley even if he’s facing criticism outside the region. | Mary Altaffer/AP

Former Rep. Mondaire Jones abruptly became persona non grata to lefty Democrats last week after he endorsed a bid to unseat congressional Squad member Rep. Jamaal Bowman.

One-time House allies and former aides took turns excoriating Jones as a political opportunist, the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC rescinded its endorsement of him, the New York Working Families Party is pulling its financial or organizational support for him and City & State reported that he rejected then-Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney’s offer to withdraw from the 2022 primary. (Jones called the story manufactured, but the outlet published a follow-up.)

Over lunch Sunday at a White Plains diner, the Democrat seeking a return to Congress told Playbook the progressives lambasting him were never his friends in the first place, the district lauds him for backing pro-Israel George Latimer over Israel critic Bowman and he really, truly has no regrets.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Last week seemed like a very bad one for you.

These people were never my actual friends. And we saw that in the way they treated me in the summer of 2022 when in spite of a progressive record on issues like health care, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, Supreme Court reform and climate action, they either abandoned me or affirmatively worked against me.

Was all the backlash worth it?

I would not do anything differently. I mean that sincerely. The appreciation that people have in these actual communities in the Hudson Valley is what matters to me. That as well as my own sense of morality compelled me to intervene, given how God-awful Mr. Bowman’s conduct has been.

How do you respond to those who say you’re not a true progressive?

I just have been through so much, growing up the way I did, unlike these trust fund socialists in Williamsburg and elsewhere suggesting that I’m not progressive enough. More than anything, I’m focused on the most important election of our lifetimes.

Are you counting on national Democrats to have a short memory?

To be honest with you, I want people to remember what I did this past week. I do want people who have been criticizing me on the left to understand the existential significance of my race to take back the House.

But can you deny that standing against Bowman improves your chances against GOP Rep. Mike Lawler in November?

It is extraordinary that while I am calling out the extremes in my own party and outside of the party — because let’s be honest, many of the people don’t 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.

You moved from the Hudson Valley for a 2022 House race in New York City and you’re back in the Hudson Valley for this election. Are you here for good?

Yes, yes, yes.

— Emily Ngo

IT’S Monday. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.

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WHERE’S KATHY? In New York City making a maternal health announcement at Bronx Borough Hall.

WHERE’S ERIC? At the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal delivering a clean energy and jobs-related announcement.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We in the United States have a dysfunctional asylum system. … Only Congress can fix what’s broken in our asylum system.” — Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Bronx Democrat, on “Fox News Sunday.”

ABOVE THE FOLD

A waiter serves champagne to guests who are dining outside in San Francisco, California.

Activist groups like One Fair Wage are calling for changes to the minimum wage of service workers, but most tipped workers are against any change, according to a survey. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

HERE’S A TIP: The nationwide campaign pushing states to increase their minimum wage for tipped workers is setting its sights on New York.

And they say the move could be a political boon for Democrats, even as the restaurant industry warns such a change is unpopular with its own workers.

The group One Fair Wage — a consortium of activist groups like VOCAL New York and labor unions including the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union — wants a full minimum wage for tipped workers. They point to data that show service sector workers who rely on tips are under the age of 24.

And as Democrats struggle to generate excitement among young voters, advocates believe the wage debate can help boost the party with the demographic.

“Young voters and voters of color — it’s the population that Democrats are most worried about this cycle and with good reason,” One Fair Wage President Saru Jayaraman said in an interview. “They’re often disaffected every electoral cycle. This cycle it’s a deep anger.”

The minimum wage for service industry workers who largely draw pay from gratuities is lower than the $16 hourly wage currently in effect for the New York City area and the $15 one north of Westchester County.

Service employees in most areas of New York earn $13.35 an hour; food service workers earn $10.65. Tips are meant to at least make up the difference.

The restaurant industry and business organizations have vehemently fought against an end to the tipped minimum wage. And some restaurant workers themselves have argued against earning the minimum wage saying they can earn far more with customer gratuities.

Nothing is expected to change anytime soon in Albany, with the Legislature home until January.

By coincidence, the restaurant industry today will release a survey of 752 tipped workers that found the vast majority — 88 percent — oppose any change to the current system.

“Out-of-state advocates calling for the elimination of the tip credit are simply out of touch with the needs and wants of the tipped workers who are part of the backbone of our restaurant industry,” Andrew Rigie, the executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, said in a statement to Playbook. — Nick Reisman

NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY

The New York state Assembly Chamber

The Legislature saw a slight slowdown of bills passed so far this year when compared to last year. | Hans Pennink/AP

BILL DROPS: Lawmakers in both chambers jointly agreed to pass 805 bills during the six-month legislative session, according to an analysis by the New York Public Interest Research Group.

The total number of bills passing in both the state Senate and Assembly between January and June this year is a decline from last year, when 896 bills were approved by both houses of the Legislature.

But that’s only a tiny fraction of the number of bills that were introduced during 2024, the analysis found. Lawmakers proposed 17,751 bills during that time, according to the good-government organization.

The Legislature ended its scheduled session last week. Lawmakers have no plans to return between now and the end of the year — even with pressing matters like a revenue plan for mass transit projects remains unclear after Hochul ended her support for congestion pricing last week. — Nick Reisman

More from Albany:

— A group that represents car dealers is holding a fundraiser for Hochul days after she canceled her support for congestion pricing. (New York Post)

— Talking with diner patrons about congestion pricing after Hochul cited them as the group that changed her mind on the issue. (Gothamist)

— Assembly lawmakers concluded the session after pulling an all-nighter that ran from Friday to Saturday morning. (POLITICO Pro)

CITY HALL: THE LATEST

Mayor Eric Adams greets a New Yorker at the 39th Annual 116th Street Festival in Manhattan on June 8, 2024.

Mayor Eric Adams waived off reporters’ questions about a federal probe into his 2021 campaign finances. | Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

SHRUG-PEONA: With a smile and jovial demeanor, Mayor Eric Adams waived off questions over the weekend about a federal grand jury reviewing evidence as part of the probe into whether his 2021 campaign took illegal contributions from foreign interests, including the Turkish government.

At least one person close to the mayor has been subpoenaed, the Daily News and New York Post reported.

“They don’t tell me stuff. Let it go through the process. I have no idea,” he told reporters at an unrelated Saturday street fair, trying to refer questions to his counsel.

“I don’t know; I’m not a lawyer. I’m Eric Adams, the mayor! Ex-cop!” He added, responding to further queries with a staccato: “No idea, no idea, no idea.”

Asked about the grand jury, Deputy Mayor Fabien Levy told the Daily News, “City Hall has said since the beginning that it will cooperate fully with this review — and it has by making individuals available to discuss any details necessary in order to reach a just and timely conclusion.”

Adams’ chief counsel Lisa Zornberg told reporters last month that she still had no indication that Adams is the target of the federal investigation. — Emily Ngo

More from the city:

— A Democrat seeking a state Assembly seat in southern Brooklyn has filed petitions to run on a separate “Pro-Israel Party” ballot line. (New York Post)

— The Parks Department is set to host a meeting in Queens today to gather community input surrounding the upcoming Ramblersville Shoreline Restoration Project. (Gothamist)

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND

— Former President Donald Trump will undergo a scheduled interview with New York probation officials Monday. (AP)

— Manhattan topographer Hector Rivera recounts how he became the borough's map guy. (Gothamist)

JOIN US ON 6/13 FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE: As Congress and the White House work to strengthen health care affordability and access, innovative technologies and treatments are increasingly important for patient health and lower costs. What barriers are appearing as new tech emerges? Is the Medicare payment process keeping up with new technologies and procedures? Join us on June 13 as POLITICO convenes a panel of lawmakers, officials and experts to discuss what policy solutions could expand access to innovative therapies and tech. REGISTER HERE.

SOCIAL DATA

Edited by Daniel Lippman

FOR YOUR RADAR: “Audrey Gelman Is Opening a Hotel: After leaving the Wing in 2020, Gelman opened a small homewares shop in Brooklyn. Now she’s expanding the country-chic brand into hospitality, starting with an 11-room inn in the Hudson Valley,” by WSJ’s Elisa Lipsky-Karasz

MEDIAWATCH: “‘A Slow-Rolling Nightmare’: inside the Revolt at the Wall Street Journal,” by National Review’s Ryan Mills and Brittany Bernstein: “A dragged-out series of slashing job cuts at the Wall Street Journal paired with the new leader’s intense focus on growing online readership and charges of eroding editorial standards have led to mounting concerns among current and former newsroom staffers about the direction of one of the nation’s preeminent news organizations.”

— @dlippman: “SCOOPLET: Emma Tucker, the UK-born editor in chief of the Wall Street Journal, said at a WHCD party last year that she hadn't realized that there were two houses of Congress (!), two people who directly heard the remark told me. She denied the reporting, calling it ‘garbage.’”

RUNNING THE CITY: Among the record number of finishers of New York Road Runners’ Mastercard New York Mini 10K on Saturday was New York City’s First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom and Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi.

MAKING MOVES: Jeff Le is starting at SecurityScorecard as VP for global government affairs and public policy. He most recently was director of government affairs at Conduent and is an alum of Jerry Brown and VMWare. … Mary Beth Terry is now executive director of the Silent Spring Institute, which studies the effects of cancer-causing chemicals on women’s health. She previously was a professor of epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: New York City Council Member Pierina Sanchez … former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer … CNN’s Jeff Zeleny … NBC’s Shannon Pettypiece, Kate Snow and Sarah DeCaro … Ayesha Rascoe … Jeff Greenfield … Edelman’s Matthew Streit ... (WAS SUNDAY): State Sen. Neil Breslin… “Capitol Pressroom” host Dave Lombardo …Marvin Kalb (94) … Margaret Talev … Newsweek’s Ramsen Shamon … Candi Wolff of Citi … Marvin Kalb ... Haley Cohen Gilliland ... Letty Cottin Pogrebin ... Natalie Portman ... Miles O’Brien … David Oliver Cohen … Alexandra Toma … Brad Gallant … R. Heath Townsend Jr. … (WAS SATURDAY): Julianna Margulies … Donald Sussman ... Cory Fritz of FTI Consulting … Dasha Zhukova … Rob Orley ... NBCUniversal’s Amanda Kontor … Jordana Cepelewicz … Kris Coratti Kelly … (WAS FRIDAY): Lester Crown ... Jesse Furman ... Emily S. Greenhouse