NoMoJoMo

In a letter to Democratic committee members dated December 23, 2025, Congressman Joe Morelle asked for their support in his 2026 re-election bid. He called himself a “lifelong, proud Democrat” and said that Hakeem Jeffries had asked him to “lead House Democrats’ efforts to root out corruption in Washington.”

Read that letter. Then ask yourself: is this serious?

Families in Rochester and Monroe County are struggling to afford housing, groceries, and health care. A president is openly defying court orders, gutting federal agencies, and dismantling the social safety net. And Joe Morelle’s pitch to voters is that he’s been tasked with “rooting out corruption”—by Hakeem Jeffries, a leader whose own caucus is revolting against him. The letter says nothing about housing. Nothing about health care costs. Nothing about what Morelle has actually done—or failed to do—for the people he represents. It is the letter of a man who thinks his job is to hold a title, not to fight for his constituents.

And the man who claims to be fighting corruption? He has one son who is a registered lobbyist for the company that owns Rochester’s electric utility, and another who runs an advocacy organization representing contractors and developers. The “lifelong Democrat” keeps recruiting Republicans to run on the Democratic line. And the leader tasked with “defending the freedom to vote” has spent decades rigging the game from the inside.

Morelle’s influence in Washington is also shrinking. In his entire time in Congress, he has sponsored exactly one piece of legislation that was enacted into law: a bill to rename a post office in Fairport after his predecessor, Louise Slaughter. That’s it. He was once a member of the Rules Committee—one of the most powerful in the House—and the Armed Services Committee. He sits on neither today. He was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus when he first joined Congress, and even touted their endorsement. But after the CPC co-chairs introduced concrete criteria—including voting record requirements—for continued membership, Morelle quietly dropped off. He is no longer a member. A progressive group flagged him as a “PINO”—progressive in name only—back in 2021. The label stuck.

This site documents, with primary sources, the record that Morelle would rather you not see: a career that began with election fraud and a guilty plea; decades of backroom dealing as Monroe County’s Democratic Party boss; loyalty to disgraced politicians and family conflicts of interest; a pattern of enabling Republicans while calling himself a Democrat; a terrible, right-wing voting record on key issues; and his role as one of AIPAC’s most reliable allies in Congress.

Every claim on this site is sourced. Newspaper clippings, public records, and reporting from local and national outlets back up what you’ll read here. This is not opinion—it is Joe Morelle’s own record, in his own words and actions.