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By: Jared Evan
US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) may not be running in New York’s suburbs, but her radical leftist reputation is taking center stage in one of the state’s most contested congressional races.
According to the NY Post, the House Republican Leadership PAC is pouring millions of dollars into TV ads tying Democrat Mondaire Jones to AOC’s far-left agenda to benefit GOP Rep. Mike Lawler, who is fighting for re-election in the lower Hudson Valley’s 17th District.
This district, covering Rockland, Putnam, and parts of northern Westchester and Dutchess counties, has become a battleground where voters are being asked to choose between Jones, whose ties to AOC’s socialist platform have come under fire, and Lawler, who positions himself as a more moderate voice. As NY Post reports, much of the focus is on the sizable Jewish population, who may account for 20% to 25% of the vote. These voters are largely pro-Israel, while Ocasio-Cortez has been a vocal critic of the Jewish state, making her an unlikely figure for this community to embrace.
Lawler and the GOP argue that Jones, like AOC, is too extreme for this district. The NY Post points to a series of attack ads funded by the Congressional Leadership Fund PAC that feature AOC heaping praise on Jones. In one of the clips, Ocasio-Cortez is seen saying, “He is the pride of New York right now, Mondaire Jones.” The narrator cuts in: “AOC is proud of Mondaire because they share the same radical agenda.”
The NY Post details that these ads highlight Jones’ controversial stances, such as his support for defunding the police and ending mass incarceration, which mirror AOC’s left-wing positions. “Jones wanted to defund the police — just like AOC,” the ad’s narrator insists, cementing the connection between the two in the minds of voters. For many in this swing district, particularly the law-and-order voting bloc, such radical proposals may be a bridge too far.
Jones, once trying to present himself as a moderate, has found it difficult to shake these associations. AOC’s endorsement may play well in heavily progressive areas like her own Bronx-Queens district, but her influence is more likely to hurt than help Jones in the moderate-leaning 17th District, where voters are concerned about safety, crime, and practical solutions over ideology. The NY Post notes that these concerns are further amplified by Lawler’s team, who has aggressively tied Jones’ positions to the radicalism of AOC.
Meanwhile, Jones’ campaign is attempting to push back by framing Lawler as a Trump loyalist. According to NY Post, Democrats are running ads linking Lawler to former President Donald Trump, with one spot showing a clip of Trump calling Lawler “spectacular” and criticizing his anti-abortion votes. However, the focus remains on Jones’ association with Ocasio-Cortez, which has made it difficult for him to define himself independently in the race.
While Mondaire Jones insists that he supports healthcare reforms and protections for pre-existing conditions, it’s his perceived alignment with AOC that dominates the conversation. As the NY Post notes, Lawler continues to hammer home the idea that Jones would rubber-stamp Ocasio-Cortez’s far-left policies, making it clear that this race isn’t just about local issues but also about rejecting the extremism of the far-left wing of the Democratic Party.
In this close contest, Ocasio-Cortez’s shadow looms large, and the NY Post reports that Republicans believe making her the face of Jones’ campaign could tip the scales in Lawler’s favor..
