In the contentious primary election for New York’s 10th Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman has positioned himself as an advocate for working-class families and as a staunch opponent of President Donald Trump.
“Labor unions are the pathway to reclaiming a middle class that is dwindling far too much as billionaires gobble up more and more of the spoils, and unions and working families are left with crumbs,” Goldman said at a Saturday rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
Goldman is seeking reelection against former city Comptroller Brad Lander, who has been endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
On the other hand, Goldman has been endorsed by Governor Kathy Hochul, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and a swath of labor unions and tenant association presidents of public housing developments in the district that includes parts of western Brooklyn and lower Manhattan.
“I’m proud of being represented, being endorsed, and supported by so many of the community leaders in Chinatown, in Sunsent Park, in Red Hook,” Goldman said.
He added that these community members need a lot more from elected officials.
“When I came into office, I made that commitment that I was going to be a different kind of elected official,” Goldman said. “I was not going to just pay attention to the voters and the donors; I was going to do outreach and engagement into communities that were unaware of the services available to them, and that’s what we have done with my incredible team and staff.”
The district is home to a sizable Jewish population, and Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza has been a point of contention in this year’s primary election. In both televised debates, the candidates repeatedly clashed on the issue.
Despite receiving criticism from Lander regarding his stance on Israel and his connection to pro-Israel political group AIPAC, Goldman has said the two actually have similar views as to the future of that region.
“We are both supporters of a two-state solution as the only path toward a peaceful region that gives the Palestinians the self-determination that they deserve,” Goldman said in an interview. “We oppose strongly the Israeli government and their conduct under this Netanyahu regime, especially in the West Bank, where they have allowed extremists to act without any repercussions in a way that is completely unacceptable.”
Goldman added that he’s not “beholden” to any organization, and said he is not afraid to make decisions that are opposed to what AIPAC believes.
The candidates have also clashed over immigration, with Lander advocating for community organizing to fight back against ICE and Goldman emphasizing the importance of Congressional action.
“ICE is completely lawless and out of control, and must be abolished, and that is something that we will push forward when we’re in the majority,” Goldman said.
Goldman, who is on the House Committee on Homeland Security and the House Judiciary Committee, also pointed to his record in fighting against Trump on immigration issues. In particular, Goldman he said he is proud of the lawsuit he filed against the Trump administration to gain Congressional oversight access, and the creation of a triage center at his district office that has helped release over 44 ICE detainees.
If reelected, Goldman said he will continue to fight against Trump’s deportation agenda.
“I am going to be aggressively pushing forward to rein in this deportation dragnet, which is truly the civil rights issue of our era,” Goldman said.
