A spark of support for Mondaire
Backed by Uniformed Fire Officers Association in primary
Rep. Mondaire Jones was endorsed Wednesday by the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, picking up a dash of labor love from some of New York City’s Bravest as he competes in a crowded Democratic primary.
The union, which represents Fire Department leaders but not the rank and file, pointed to Jones’ work on Capitol Hill as it offered him support in the House race for New York’s 10th Congressional District.
Since last year, Jones, 35, has represented a suburban district, New York’s 17th. But he moved to Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, to run in the 10th District after he was drawn out of his current district, which stretches across the counties of Rockland and Westchester.
The redrawn 10th District spans from Manhattan’s West Village in the north to Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst in the south. The deep-blue district has invited a packed crowd of hopefuls that briefly included former Mayor Bill de Blasio.
In a statement, Lt. James McCarthy, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, cast Jones as a steady friend of firefighters, saying he “has always supported us in Congress.”
“He has supported legislation that will keep every New York City firefighter safe and protected,” McCarthy said in the statement. “Mondaire Jones knows how to get things done and deliver for New York City.”
McCarthy’s union represents Fire Department lieutenants, captains, battalion chiefs and other supervisors. Overall, it has more than 8,000 active and retired members, but is a fraction the size of heavy labor hitters that have stepped into the race. Jones still smiled at the support. “Each and every day, the members of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association put their lives on the line to protect our communities from threats of danger — and they are owed a debt of gratitude,” he said in a statement.
Jones added in the statement that he has fought hard to “ensure that responders and survivors of 9/11 have access to the quality, affordable health care they deserve.”
Carrying field-leading campaign coffers, Jones has worked to heat up his campaign, nagged by criticism of his politically motivated relocation from White Plains after the messy redrawing of New York’s congressional map.
Jones made history as one of the first openly gay Black lawmakers in the House, but he has trailed the top tier in the 10th District race, according to opinion polls. On Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, endorsed his run.
City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera (D-Manhattan) has picked up endorsements from 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, the city’s largest union, and Local 100 of the Transport Workers Union, which represents about 42,000 active transit workers.
Rivera is seen as a front-runner in the race, along with Dan Goldman, a Manhattan lawyer who led the first House impeachment inquiry into former President Donald Trump.
Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, perhaps the most progressive voice vying to represent the 10th District, has also fared well in surveys.
Primary Day is Aug. 23.