Her parents were both raised in Harlem, and the family returned after her father's internship at Johns Hopkins University,[5] where she grew up.

[7] Jordan was a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), but was not endorsed by that organization,[7] as it wanted to focus support on other candidates in that year's elections.

[12] Jordan was criticized in the aftermath of a fatal shooting in her district where two Hispanic NYPD police officers, Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora were shot and killed in a domestic disturbance call; choosing instead to issue tweets about a local community garden.

"[14] In February 2022, Jordan received criticism for justifying the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine by claiming that the Revolution of Dignity was a coup led by the United States, European Union, and NATO.

[24] In 2023, Jordan received significant criticism for pushing a bill to rename the intersection of 127th Street & Malcolm X Boulevard in Harlem after Elijah Muhammad, the former leader of the Nation of Islam who expressed anti-Semitic and anti-White viewpoints, among other controversial statements.

In addition, city councilmember David Carr, beyond just citing the Southern Poverty Law Center's words on the Nation of Islam spreading hatred, called it "dishonorable" to name the street after Muhammad when the site had been the location of an NYPD cop being murdered by unidentified NOI members in 1972.