New York Democrat Mondaire Jones raised $1M last quarter in comeback bid

Former Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones is raking in cash in his bid to unseat Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, raising $1 million last quarter, according to fundraising totals first provided to POLITICO.

It gives him a war chest of $1.55 million and more than $2 million raised in total heading into what’s likely to be one of the nation's most competitive House elections. It also marks the second quarter in a row in which Jones outraised Lawler, Jones’ campaign said.

"I am thrilled to have raised more than $2.1 million in the off-year of this crucial race to take back the House, save our democracy from Donald Trump and his lackey Mike Lawler in Congress, lower costs, and protect the right to abortion,” Jones said in a statement. “The Lower Hudson Valley is ready for me to restore serious and effective representation in Congress, and our grassroots coalition is prepared to defeat Mike Lawler this year.”

Jones had represented parts of the district in the lower Hudson Valley before New York’s redistricting tumult last cycle pushed him to unsuccessfully run for a seat in New York City. This time, he’s largely cleared the primary field in the 17th District, with Democrat Liz Whitmer Gereghty dropping out of the race last November and backing Jones.

Lawler, a first-term lawmaker, had defeated Democrats’ campaign chief Sean Patrick Maloney to win the seat last cycle. But President Joe Biden won the seat by about ten points in 2020, making it especially competitive in a presidential election year.