Following weeks of speculation, City Comptroller Brad Lander officially launched a primary challenge Wednesday against U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman.
Lander enters the race with the backing of several of the country’s most prominent progressive leaders, including Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
The outgoing comptroller, who did not run for re-election this year in lieu of a failed bid for the Democratic mayoral nomination, kicked off his bid for New York’s 10th Congressional District with a Mister Rogers–themed video released earlier Wednesday morning. The district spans Lower Manhattan, including Tribeca and Chinatown, as well as a large swath of northwest Brooklyn, encompassing Sunset Park and Park Slope.
Goldman, first elected in 2022 after narrowly winning a crowded primary, has gained national attention for his aggressive criticism of President Donald Trump, particularly on immigration. But he has faced increasing friction with progressives over his staunch support for Israel, which has grown more visible since Mamdani’s decisive victories in both the June primary and November general election.
When asked about Lander’s challenge, Goldman’s campaign spokesperson Maddy Rosen said the congressman “will deal with Brad and other challengers in the new year.”
“Dan is focused on stopping the Trump administration from what they’re doing to immigrant families in his district right now,” Rosen said, adding that Goldman is “proud of his progressive record in Congress.”
‘It’s a beautiful day for a campaign launch…’ for Lander
Lander’s launch video makes sharp contrasts with the incumbent, criticizing “high-dollar fundraisers,” “doing AIPAC’s bidding,” and what he described as “strongly worded letters” in the face of serious crises.
“In a district that knows our safety, our freedom, our thriving is bound up together … at a moment of dark oppression, we can shine by fighting back together,” he says, before closing with a nod to Mister Rogers and a few notes of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” the theme song to “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
The announcement also highlights Lander’s recent clashes with federal immigration authorities.
In September, the comptroller was arrested along with several other elected officials at 26 Federal Plaza after attempting to inspect a holding area that advocates say ICE has been using as an ad hoc detention site for migrants leaving immigration court. Federal agents charged him with a misdemeanor for allegedly obstructing the elevator lobby.
Lander has rejected a plea offer and pushed back on the charges, accusing ICE of misusing the federal office building as a de facto detention center with harsh and unsafe conditions. He argues the agency, not elected officials, is responsible for obstructing the building’s “usual use” by keeping migrants on a floor that lacks beds, hygiene supplies and adequate oversight. He is due back in court later this month.
Despite his congressional challenge, Lander has also recently worked alongside Goldman on immigration-related issues. In late September, the two issued a joint letter urging the Department of Homeland Security to refer for felony prosecution an ICE agent who was caught on video allegedly shoving a woman to the ground in front of her children at 26 Federal Plaza. They called the agent’s reinstatement “outrageous,” urging federal authorities to take immediate action.
Lander’s campaign platform centers on resisting authoritarianism, expanding affordable housing, strengthening worker protections and reshaping U.S. foreign policy. The platform highlights his record on housing, from anti-eviction work and affordable-housing development to the Gowanus rezoning, as well as his office’s intervention that preserved more than 35,000 affordable units following the collapse of Signature Bank. He also cites his work securing paid sick leave, gig-worker protections and higher wages for delivery workers and ride-hail drivers.
On foreign policy, Lander advocates for “bridges, not bombs,” calling for reduced military spending, greater investment in global development and human rights, and a reassertion of Congress’s constitutional authority. He has long opposed Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and argues that Israelis “will only be safe and free when Palestinians are free and safe.”
Progressive lane takes shape
Before Lander began mulling on a possible Congressional bid, it had been widely speculated that he might join the incoming Mamdani administration, given that the two cross-endorsed during the ranked-choice primary, a move crucial to Mamdani’s victory.
After conceding that mayoral primary, Lander, who is Jewish, emphasized the significance of his alliance with Mamdani, who is Muslim.
“We are not going to let anyone divide Muslim New Yorkers and Jewish New Yorkers,” Lander said. “Our safety, our hopes and our freedoms are bound up together — don’t get it twisted.”
During his campaign launch video, Lander tells voters that Mayor-elect Mamdani “can have an ally in Washington instead of an adversary in his own backyard.” Goldman, for his part, did not endorse Mamdani in the mayor’s race but said after his victory that he looked forward to working with him.
In his backing of Lander’s challenge to Goldman, Mayor-elect Mamdani called Lander a “true leader,” “trusted ally” and “partner.”
“Brad’s unwavering principles, deep knowledge, and sincere empathy are what make him a true leader,” Mamdani said in a statement. “He has been a trusted ally and partner of mine, and I’m proud to support him as I know he’ll continue delivering for those who need government to show up for them the most.”
The immediate endorsement signals a measure of loyalty but also Mamdani’s willingness to challenge the Democratic establishment, particularly after Mamdani recently advocated against the Democratic Socialists of America backing Brooklyn Council Member Chi Ossé’s challenge to House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Ossé, however, officially dropped his primary bid last week.
Meanwhile, other leading progressives like Vermont Senator Sanders praised Lander as “a relentless fighter for working people,” while Warren called him “the real deal” with the “experience, values and grit” to deliver for working families. Brooklyn Assemblymember Robert Carroll wrote that NY-10 “could not ask for a better neighbor — or a more principled progressive leader,” while State Sen. Andrew Gounardes declared, “Team Gounardes is always on Team Lander.”
Lander also secured the backing of the New York Working Families Party, which praised him for his “moral courage,” advocacy for working families, and record on affordable housing and labor protections. The party said it expects Lander to continue fighting for workers, immigrant families, and broader access to housing, education, healthcare, and public safety.
“We are all in and ready to win,” the party posted.
DSA-backed City Council Member Alexa Avilés, whose district overlaps with NY-10, was reportedly also weighing a potential run, but she released a statement after Lander’s announcement saying she will not enter the race, warning that a split progressive field could risk giving Goldman another term.
She said she was “grateful” for the encouragement from community members but decided her “best use of energy is not running for Congress” and that there is “far too much to be done at home in Brooklyn and at City Hall.”
“What’s clear from my years in public services is that Dan Goldman has fundamentally failed our communities,” Avilés said in a statement that stops short of endorsing her fellow Brooklynite. “A split field runs too great a risk of allowing him another damaging term. I’m not done taking on the corporate powers that have destroyed our city and country, but have decided that my best use of energy is not running for Congress in NY-10.”
Former Chinatown Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, who lost to Goldman in the 2022 primary by just 1,306 votes, announced Tuesday that she would also not be jumping into the race this year “so we on the left can consolidate behind a unified progressive candidacy.”
“While I would be well-positioned to win in a head-to-head race against the incumbent, the division of having multiple candidates on the left only helps the opponents of change. We can’t afford that outcome,” Niou posted.
