The Democratic party may lose an opportunity to flip a critical House race in New York - with Republicans capitalizing on toxic messaging from "the Squad" to secure their hold on the lower Hudson Valley's 17th district.
Republicans are spending millions to tie Democratic challenger Mondaire Jones to leftist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Ny.) and the anti-Semitic wing of the Democratic party.
Jones is seeking to reclaim the seat from Republican Mike Lawler, who has represented the 17th district since a red wave swept the state.
Democratic candidates throughout the region have tried to pivot to the middle this year, adopting Republican law-and-order messaging on crime and the border.
During his time in Congress, Jones supported defunding police and slashing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Like many Democrats in battleground districts, Jones is now posing as tough on the border while holding onto the traditionally liberal commitment to a "pathway to citizenship" for illegal aliens.
In recent response to criticism from Lawler, Jones' campaign said he "supported record levels of funding for border security while in office and will continue to advocate for more resources when he returns to office.”
While Jones has moderated his rhetoric, Lawler and House Republicans have highlighted past praise from Ocasio-Cortez to paint Jones as a radical.
New ads funded by the Congressional Leadership Fund PAC feature clips of Jones demanding an end to "mass incarceration" - as Ocasio-Cortez praises Jones as the "pride of New York."
“Jones wanted to defund the police — just like AOC,” the narrator says. “He’ll do anything to make AOC proud.”
AOC has won re-election twice since rising to prominence in 2018. She won her primary handily this year, all but ensuring she will win re-election in her deeply Democratic district covering parts of the Bronx and Queens.
The 'Squad' suffered its first significant defeats this summer, with the ouster of New York Democrat Jamaal Bowman and Missouri's Cori Bush.
The Israel-Hamas was an issue in both contests, with centrist Democrats successfully blasting Bowman and Bush as anti-Israel extremists.
The "Squad" blamed the outcomes in both races on influence from AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby, which poured millions into unseating Bowman and Bush.
The 17th district covers politically moderate suburbs north of New York City, including Rockland, Putnam and parts of northern Westchester and Dutchess counties.
The district has a large Jewish population, accounting for as many as 25% of voters.
Could anti-police, anti-Israel extremism cost Democrats control of the House? We will see in November.
