Earlier this month, a primary challenger to longtime New York Congresswoman Nita Lowey announced his candidacy for the lower Hudson Valley district. He’s hoping for an upset like the one Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pulled off in a 2018 primary, unseating New York City Democrat Joe Crowley. WAMC’s Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne spoke with Mondaire Jones about his campaign.
On the issue of SALT, Lowey, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, reintroduced legislation in January to fully restore the state and local tax deduction that was curtailed by federal tax legislation President Trump signed in December 2017. She and Republican Long Island Congressman Peter King reintroduced the Securing Access to Lower Taxes by ensuring Deductibility Act of 2019, or SALT Deductibility Act, to repeal the $10,000 limit on the SALT deduction.
The 17th Congressional District includes all of Rockland County and part of Westchester County. A spokeswoman for Lowey says, "Congresswoman Lowey is honored that the voters have entrusted her to represent them in Congress and would never take an election for granted." Lowey was first elected in 1988.
Jones is a Rockland County native who currently lives in South Nyack. He was raised in Spring Valley and attended East Ramapo public schools. After college, he served in the Obama Administration, in the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice, working on judicial nominations.
As for the crowded Democratic presidential primary field, Jones has an eye on a few.
Jones says he will not accept donations from corporate PACs. In 2018, Lowey defeated Joe Ciardullo, a former Republican who ran on the Reform Party line. A Republican did not run. Lowey garnered 88 percent of the votes.
