Dan Goldman vows to keep his fellow 1 percenters in check

Rep. Dan Goldman is rich. He is one of the richest people in Congress. This has been a point of attack for his congressional primary opponents past, and it will continue to be one for his current rival Brad Lander. Even before Goldman began his remarks at his reelection campaign launch event at the Golden Unicorn in Chinatown on Tuesday, Lander’s campaign released a statement that introduced Goldman as: “Heir to the Levis Strauss (sic) fortune.” 

Indeed, Goldman’s investments total more than $200 million, according to the investment data platform Quiver Quantitative. His congressional financial disclosures show he owns at least three homes – one in Atlantic Beach on Long Island and residences in Manhattan and Water Mill in the Hamptons with mortgages valued between $5 million and $25 million each.

Goldman seemed to anticipate the trust fund-kid attacks, describing his family history in remarks to supporters at the dim sum palace. “I have an ancestor that headed west during the gold rush. But instead of mining for gold, he decided to make denim jeans for all of the miners. That man was Levi Strauss,” Goldman said to cheers. “My family helped grow that company into an iconic American brand.”

In 2022, Goldman self-funded much of his campaign for the 10th Congressional District, loaning his committee $4.9 million which he never paid back. But Goldman said he doesn’t plan to self-fund again. Asked whether he would pay for his competitive reelection campaign on Tuesday, Goldman said, “I do not plan to do that.” 

While describing anticorruption efforts, he emphasized that he put all his money in blind trusts, and vowed not to accept campaign donations from “corporate PACs.” He also touted his “ROBINHOOD” legislation to establish an excise tax on loans backed by capital assets – specifically aimed at a tax evasion maneuver of the super-wealthy. 

“Over the last couple decades, we all have seen this dramatic increase in wealth inequality. Our democracy is just not working for too many people, and it is now too difficult for too many people to even access the opportunities that this country presents,” he said. “In order to unrig this system, in order to make opportunity equal, I introduced the ROBINHOOD Act recently, which will make billionaires pay their fair share.” 

Goldman’s making being “one of the good ones” key to his campaign. In his launch video, he walks down Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn as virtual banners unfurl saying “ban stock trading by all politicians” and “make billionaires pay their fair share.” 

Goldman may not be working class, but his campaign launch event was full of working class people in a racially diverse crowd. Representatives from several NYCHA complexes attended, and he was endorsed by the IBEW Local 3 union. Remarks were translated to Mandarin on a television monitor.

Goldman kicked off his reelection effort with endorsements from Gov. Kathy Hochul, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assembly Member Grace Lee. Lander is endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the United Auto Workers union Region 9A.