In NY-10 it’s Lander’s progressive relationships versus Goldman’s money

10th District

Parts of Manhattan including the West Village, Greenwich Village, East Village, Lower East Side, Tribeca and the Financial District, and parts of Brooklyn including Brooklyn Heights, Red Hook, Park Slope and Sunset Park. 

TLDR: Former mayoral candidate Brad Lander is back in his old neighborhood, giving Rep. Dan Goldman a run for his (ample) money. 

Incumbent: Rep. Dan Goldman

Challengers: Brad Lander

2025 Democratic mayoral primary results (first round): Zohran Mamdani 46%; Andrew Cuomo 23%; Brad Lander 23%; Other 8%

The Z factor: Mamdani has wholeheartedly endorsed Lander, even edging a DSA ally out of the race to clear his lane. Goldman never endorsed Mamdani for mayor, and that has apparently not been forgotten.

The X factor: Goldman’s pouring $1 million of his own money into the race, and he’s vowing to match others’ donations to himself.

What you need to know: Through a certain lens, there isn’t much contrast between the two middle-aged, white Jewish guys who want to represent the 10th Congressional District. Rep. Dan Goldman and his challenger Brad Lander have both shown up to protests against ICE at 26 Federal Plaza, both condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, both said they want to tax the wealthy. The pro-Israel progressive group J Street endorsed Goldman, but they also “approved” Lander.

But through a slightly more magnified lens, the differences are stark, both candidates claim. Lander says unlike Goldman, he’s part of the progressive vanguard in New York City led by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He swore to donate campaign funds to charity if any super PACs get involved in the race to support him. (They haven’t.) And he says he would vote against military aid for Israel while the country continues to violate international law.

“I support and will cosponsor the Block the Bombs Act and the Ceasefire Compliance Act, which are the two specific pieces of legislation in Congress right now that would stop sending the 2000-pound bombs that Israel used, that we gave them, that they used to destroy the hospitals and schools and homes in Gaza,” Lander told City & State. “And at this moment, I would not support any additional U.S. military aid to Israel, offensive or or defensive.”

Until his failed run for New York City mayor, Lander represented the area in some capacity since he was elected to the City Council in 2010. Goldman was first elected 12 years later after he spent much of his ample personal wealth to prevail in a crowded race. With the announcement that he’s spending more than $1 million of his fortune this year, it looks like he wants to use that strategy again.

Goldman says that, unlike Lander, he’s been gaining seniority in Congress over nearly four years, he has cosponsored federal legislation to tax the rich and he’s used the courts and official visits to improve conditions for immigrants detained at 26 Federal Plaza.

There haven’t been recent public polls on the race, but a poll released in September before Lander launched his campaign found that he was favored over Goldman by 20 points. And he’s expected to win by more than 80% of wagerers on the betting markets Kalshi and Polymarket. It’s a progressive district: Mamdani beat former Gov. Andrew Cuomo by 23 points in the Democratic primary for mayor there last year – and that’s not counting the 23 points that Lander himself got in the district. “I mean, I feel good about the race,” Lander told City & State. “People are hungry for change.”

But Goldman, who generally seems averse to politics, is not going quietly. As of the latest filings, before he donated $1 million to himself, he had $1.5 million on hand, more than twice what Lander has. He’s been endorsed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, as well as several local Democratic clubs. He’s highlighting his work to protect immigrants, particularly a lawsuit he joined to make sure members of Congress are not blocked from inspecting ICE facilities, something he frequently does. He’s also set up an immigration clinic in his office across the street from 26 Federal Plaza, which he claims has gotten 30 people released from detention. For his part, Lander got arrested during the mayoral primary while attempting to escort immigrants inside 26 Federal Plaza.

“I would urge voters to take a very close look at the way that both of us have approached this immigration problem and ultimately the effectiveness and success of our approaches,” Goldman said.