It's a tale as old as congressional reapportionment — an incumbent must court new voters after the decennial shifting of district lines. But this time, there's a twist: the incumbent has never represented an inch of the district.
Why it matters: This dynamic could cost one of Congress' most prominent new progressives, Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), his seat — just two years after he made history as one of the first two openly gay Black members of Congress.
- Jones has become a rising star, attracting headlines for fiery floor speeches and proposing radical reforms of the federal judiciary.
- Data reported by Axios last year showed he co-sponsored more bills as of May 2021 than any of the nearly 80 members of his freshman class.
The backdrop: Jones won his current seat in 2020 against a large field of credible challengers by positioning himself as the clear progressive, beating the runner-up by more than 25 points. He'd been on track for an easy re-nomination this year.
- After redistricting, however, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Sean Patrick Maloney opted to run in Jones’ blue-tinted district over his old swing district, forcing Jones to re-evaluate his options.
- Now, rather than his seat in New York City's northern suburbs, Jones is running in the city’s newly open, solidly Democratic 10th district — and he's facing serious progressive competition in a crowded primary field.
The abrupt change is still catching people by surprise after more than a month....
- "A lot of voters ... still think Mondaire is running in this district," said state Sen. Alessandra