By the numbers, this was not close. Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander captured almost two-thirds of the Democratic primary vote in New York’s 10th Congressional District, defeating Rep. Dan Goldman by more than 30 percentage points, according to early returns.
The bottom line: Goldman becomes the fifth member of the House to lose a primary this year, and the second from New York City in a matter of hours, after Rep. Adriano Espaillat also lost his bid. The wave carries the signature of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who endorsed Lander on the day his campaign began.
The issue that mattered most was Israel. Lander, who is Jewish, called the war in Gaza a “genocide” and promised to co-sponsor legislation limiting American military aid to Israel. Goldman, also Jewish, had support from both the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the liberal group J Street, and argued for separating criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from calls to block military aid.
Goldman entered politics as a rising star, serving as lead counsel in President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial and winning a crowded 2022 primary by a razor-thin margin. An heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, he committed up to $1 million of his own money, on top of endorsements from Gov. Kathy Hochul and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The money did not move the needle.
Lander leaned on a different kind of capital. He represented the Brooklyn portion of the district for 11 years on the City Council, won endorsements from Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and made an alliance with Mamdani during his own failed bid for mayor. Mamdani introduced Lander at the victory party in Brooklyn.
Investors will note that the result does little to shift the fight for control of the House: the district is safely Democratic, and there is no competitive Republican on the November ballot. But it gives Mamdani stronger allies on Capitol Hill, since the two other New York City congressional candidates he endorsed also prevailed, making Tuesday a very good night for the city’s left wing.
Sources
- Goldman loses House seat after NY-10 Democratic primary defeat to Lander
- Brad Lander ousts Rep. Dan Goldman after left-wing challenge – POLITICO
