Neighbor News
Secretary Julián Castro Endorses Mondaire Jones for Congress
Former Democratic presidential candidate and President Obama's Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro backs Jones in NY-17
SLEEPY HOLLOW, NY — Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro today endorsed NY-17 Democratic Congressional Candidate Mondaire Jones, emphasizing Mondaire’s experience and dedication to a people-first agenda in his endorsement.
“More than ever, we need leaders in Washington like Mondaire Jones who understand the challenges that hardworking families face every day,” said Secretary Julián Castro. “Mondaire has the experience, vision, and grit to fight for a people-first agenda in Washington, and I’m proud to lend my support to his campaign.”
“I’m honored to be endorsed by Secretary Castro, who not only believes in big, structural change, but has also fought for progressive reforms on both the local and national levels,” said NY-17 Democratic Congressional Candidate Mondaire Jones. “Throughout his presidential campaign, he elevated our political discourse and highlighted the absolute need for universal health care, comprehensive immigration reform, racial justice, and other people-first policies that I have centered in my campaign. From San Antonio’s youngest city councilman to the DNC’s first Hispanic keynote speaker to President Obama’s youngest cabinet member, Secretary Castro has made history at every stage of his career. I hope to follow in his footsteps and break down barriers when I’m elected to Congress.”
Mondaire Jones has also been endorsed by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Rep. Deb Haaland, Rep. Mark Pocan, Rep. David Cicilline, the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, Equality PAC, NY Working Families Party, United Auto Workers, Hispanic Democrats of Westchester, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Democracy for America, The LGBT Victory Fund, The Collective PAC, and more than 40 elected officials and community leaders in Rockland and Westchester Counties. He recently announced that his campaign had raised over $827,000 by the end of the first quarter of 2020. Unlike many of his opponents, Jones is not accepting corporate PAC money in his campaign and has also signed the No Fossil Fuel Pledge. When elected, Mondaire will make U.S. history as the first openly gay, black member of Congress.
About Mondaire: Mondaire Jones is a 33-year-old former litigator in the Westchester County Law Department and former Department of Justice staffer during the Obama Administration. A resident of South Nyack, he is running to represent New York's 17th Congressional District. A product of East Ramapo public schools, Mondaire was raised in Section 8 housing and on food stamps in the Village of Spring Valley by a single mother who worked multiple jobs to provide for their family. He later graduated from Stanford University and Harvard Law School. He is a co-founder of the nonprofit Rising Leaders, Inc. and has previously served on the NAACP’s National Board of Directors and on the board of the New York Civil Liberties Union. Mondaire is a progressive running to fight for bold solutions to our biggest problems: a Green New Deal, tuition-free public college and student debt forgiveness, Medicare for All, and a full restoration of the SALT deduction for families in Westchester and Rockland.
