{"id":66901,"date":"2026-05-11T23:16:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T23:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/66901\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T23:16:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T23:16:16","slug":"ny-10-primary-goldman-hopes-recent-council-race-shows-limits-of-mamdanis-influence-in-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/66901\/","title":{"rendered":"NY-10 Primary: Goldman hopes recent Council race shows limits of Mamdani\u2019s influence in race"},"content":{"rendered":"

U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman<\/a> is betting Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s endorsement of Brad Lander<\/a> won\u2019t be enough to beat him in the NY-10 Democratic primary next month, arguing that a recent City Council race showed the limits of the mayor\u2019s political pull.<\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters at a Knicks watch party he hosted in Lower Manhattan on Friday, Goldman said the takeaway from C<\/a>arl Wilson\u2019s recent victory over Lindsey Boylan<\/a>, who was backed by Mamdani, was that \u201cpeople who have been on the ground, doing the work win elections\u201d \u2014 a pointed response to a question about whether the result suggested the mayor\u2019s endorsement power had been overstated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand that the mayor endorsed Brad,\u201d Goldman said, referring to Lander, the former city comptroller and his Democratic primary challenger. \u201cBut everybody knows that Brad wanted a job in the mayor\u2019s administration. And the real question is, if he likes him so much, why didn\u2019t he hire him for his administration?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lander\u2019s campaign pushed back, saying he is \u201cproud to have Mayor Mamdani\u2019s support\u201d but arguing he will win because of his own record in the district. The campaign pointed to Lander\u2019s work as a tenant activist, nonprofit housing leader, community board member, City Council member and comptroller, and said Goldman had \u201cfailed to take on the billionaires and CEOs who are rigging the economy against working people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked about Goldman\u2019s jab that Lander wanted a job in the Mamdani administration, the campaign did not directly say whether Lander sought a role, instead saying Lander was \u201cproud to cross-endorse Zohran in the primary\u201d and support him in the general election, while accusing Goldman of failing to support Mamdani as the Democratic nominee.<\/p>\n

\"\"U.S. Congressman Dan Goldman celebrates a Knicks victory during game three of the NBA Playoffs in a Knicks vs 76ers game on May 8 \"\"Goldman attended the Knicks watch party in Lower Manhattan with some of his children on FridayPhoto by Lloyd Mitchell<\/p>\n

Rather than attack the mayor outright, Goldman argued that local relationships and district work \u2014 not endorsements alone \u2014 will decide the primary.\n<\/p>\n

He pointed repeatedly to his support from neighborhood leaders and tenant representatives, saying more than 80% of tenant association presidents across the district\u2019s NYCHA developments have endorsed him. He also cited backing from community leaders in Chinatown, as well as from labor unions and political clubs in Sunset Park and Red Hook.<\/p>\n

Goldman, an heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. clothing fortune, used those endorsements to push back on criticism that his personal wealth makes him out of touch with the district \u2014 an argument Lander\u2019s campaign has pressed since the race got underway.<\/p>\n

The incumbent recently announced he would put $1 million of his own money<\/a> into the race and match donations dollar-for-dollar. Asked about the criticism around the move, Goldman said scrutiny of his wealth may have been more relevant when he first ran for office, before he had a record to defend.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis whole focus on wealth or special interests may have been relevant four years ago when I had never been in elected office,\u201d Goldman said. \u201cBut look at my record over the past four years, and what you will see is I\u2019m not only aggressively pushing a bold progressive agenda, I am getting stuff done and delivering results for the district.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe likes to speak in broad, big terms, but I\u2019m the one who has been doing the work on the ground,\u201d the Congress member said. \u201cThe person who\u2019s really out of touch is my opponent.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Goldman did not provide specific fundraising figures when asked whether his self-funding pledge and donor match had boosted contributions. But he said the campaign had seen growing momentum in volunteers, door-knocking, voter support and fundraising.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s an energy around the campaign that has really been building over the course of the last several months,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re gearing up to sprint over the finish line.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

According to a Goldman-aligned super PAC poll shared exclusively with City & State<\/a>, Lander led Goldman 47% to 42% among likely Democratic primary voters, including undecided voters who lean toward a candidate, though the lead fell within the poll\u2019s 4.5-point margin of error.<\/p>\n

\"\"Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a Monday rally backing Rep. Dan Goldman\u2019s reelection bid in NY-10, alongside DC 37 and other labor unionsPhoto by Lloyd Mitchell<\/p>\n

On Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul, DC 37, and more than 10 other labor unions rallied behind his reelection, with labor leaders framing Goldman as a reliable ally for workers and organized labor.<\/p>\n

Lander meanwhile has the support from Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, five of the six City Council members who have endorsed in the race, more than 1,700 volunteers and labor groups including SEIU 32BJ, UAW Region 9A, CWA District 1, PSC\/CUNY and Workers United SEIU.<\/p>\n

At the rally on Monday, Goldman leaned into the same argument he made on Friday, that voters should judge the race by record and results, not political symbolism.\n<\/p>\n

Asked afterward whether the contest was becoming a proxy fight involving the governor and mayor, Goldman pushed back.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI can assure you that when I\u2019m knocking doors, nobody is asking me about the governor or the mayor,\u201d Goldman said. \u201cThey\u2019re asking me about my agenda.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Asked whether Mamdani\u2019s influence could penetrate congressional districts, Goldman said voters and unions would make their decisions through their own processes.\n<\/p>\n

Goldman has also sought to keep the race focused on Trump, immigration and congressional power. At Monday\u2019s rally, he leaned heavily on his impeachment background, telling supporters he \u201cwrote the book on beating Trump\u201d and would be positioned to hold the administration accountable if Democrats retake the House.<\/p>\n

He also touted his work responding to immigration enforcement actions in Lower Manhattan, saying his office opened a rapid-response triage center for families after arrests at the courthouse.\n<\/p>\n

Goldman said more than 100 people had come through the intake system and that 33 had been released.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Dan Goldman sees the assault of the Trump administration on our immigrant community, he is the number one defender, standing up in his power and his voice to stand up for people who are being abused,\u201d said Gov. Hochul on Monday.<\/p>\n

\"\"Rep. Dan Goldman speaks at a Monday labor rally for his NY-10 reelection campaignPhoto by Lloyd Mitchell<\/p>\n

On Friday, Goldman was more measured when asked about Mamdani\u2019s first months as mayor. He said the job is \u201cvery difficult,\u201d especially for a new mayor who has not previously run a large organization, but said he agrees with Mamdani\u2019s focus on affordability.<\/p>\n

\u201cI agree with his identification of the problems we have,\u201d Goldman said, adding that he is working with the mayor and his team \u201cto make lives better for New Yorkers and to tackle the affordability crisis,\u201d which he called the city\u2019s top issue.<\/p>\n

But Goldman drew a sharper contrast with Democrats who try to maintain a cordial relationship with President Donald Trump in hopes of delivering for New York, like Hizzoner.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a little naive to think that you can suck up to Donald Trump in order to get your results,\u201d Goldman said. \u201cI have been studying Donald Trump for many years, since I first impeached him, and like many bullies, he actually responds better when you stand up to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s got to be a little bit of a give and a take,\u201d he added, \u201cbut if he thinks that you are a pushover, he will run all over you.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

That warning came in the same gaggle where Goldman struck a notably pragmatic tone about Trump and the proposed redesign of Penn Station.\n<\/p>\n

Asked about the possibility of the Trump administration taking a larger role in the station\u2019s redevelopment \u2014 and even the prospect of Trump attaching his name to the project \u2014 Goldman said New York should welcome federal money.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Trump wants to put $7 billion of federal money to revitalize Penn Station, that\u2019s great,\u201d Goldman said. \u201cNew York City will benefit from that.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Asked about the possibility of \u201cTrump Station,\u201d Goldman said he could live with it.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he wants to name it Trump Station in order to do that, it\u2019s fine by me, because at some point it\u2019ll be renamed,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n

Goldman said one Penn Station plan he had seen did not include moving Madison Square Garden, the home of the Knicks, though he said he did not know what other plans might entail.\n<\/p>\n

He said he expected a decision \u201cpretty quickly\u201d and added that whatever plan advances would include the Garden \u201cone way or another.\u201d
\n\"\"Photo by Lloyd Mitchell\n<\/p>\n

The gaggle unfolded against the backdrop of the Knicks\u2019 playoff run. Goldman hosted the watch party as New York beat the Philadelphia 76ers 108-94 to take a 3-0 lead in their second-round series. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 33 points, while Mikal Bridges added 23, and Landry Shamet helped fill the gap with OG Anunoby sidelined.<\/p>\n

Asked why sports fandom can be such an effective bond, Goldman said it cuts across political and social divisions.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cSports is the great equalizer,\u201d Goldman said. \u201cIt cuts through partisanship. It cuts through different backgrounds. It cuts through everything.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can disagree about lots of things,\u201d he added, \u201cbut we are New Yorkers, and we are Knicks fans, we agree on that, and that bonds us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman is betting Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s endorsement of Brad Lander won\u2019t be enough to beat…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":66902,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[148],"tags":[39163,8566,39164,22194,39165,559,39166,39167,20221,553],"class_list":{"0":"post-66901","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-zohran-mamdani","8":"tag-2026-democratic-primary","9":"tag-brad-lander","10":"tag-dan-goldman","11":"tag-hochul","12":"tag-knicks","13":"tag-mamdani","14":"tag-msg","15":"tag-ny10","16":"tag-penn-station","17":"tag-zohran-mamdani"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@people\/116558495075993947","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66901\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}