New York City Comptroller Brad Lander doesn’t want the support of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which is commonly blasted by progressives, in his race against Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY).
Spurning AIPAC, a major pro-Israel donor to Goldman, would once have been considered a bad move in a congressional district with one of the largest proportions of Jewish constituents. But New York’s 10th Congressional District moved to the left in the mayoral election, leaving an opening for Lander.
In his congressional announcement, Lander emphasized that he’s running for Congress independent of AIPAC.
“I’m running for Congress because the challenges we face can’t be solved with strongly-worded letters or high-dollar fundraisers,” he said. “And not by doing AIPAC’s bidding in a district that knows our safety, our freedom, our thriving is bound up together.”
Progressives have condemned AIPAC for its high-dollar donations to pro-Israel incumbents and challengers. They view the committee as an arm of Israel, which anti-Israel activists accuse of committing genocide in Gaza.
AIPAC helped Rep. George Latimer (D-NY) defeat former Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a former member of the progressive and often anti-Israel “Squad,” last year. Latimer has received about $19 million from the pro-Israel lobby, according to Track AIPAC.
Dodging donations from AIPAC will help Lander with liberals and will also simultaneously highlight the organization’s support of Goldman. The pro-Israel lobby has supported Goldman with nearly $370,000 in funds.
Lander went after Goldman for his lack of support for New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Goldman refused to endorse Mamdani in the mayoral primary or general election, likely due to the mayor-elect’s anti-Israel views. The congressman once blasted Mamdani for failing to condemn the “globalize the intifada” phrase.
“Our mayor can have an ally in Washington, instead of an adversary in his own backyard,” Lander said in his launch video.
Lander told the New York Times that he agreed with Goldman that Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel constituted a war crime, but that he disagreed with him on Israel’s military response. Lander believes Israel’s strikes on Gaza, which have resulted in civilian casualties, are also war crimes.
Lander’s early endorsements bode well for him in the race. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), popular with progressives and some mainstream Democrats alike, endorsed him Wednesday. With Mamdani’s endorsement, the city comptroller has effectively narrowed progressives’ choices to himself.
Fellow progressive former state Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou recently ducked out of consideration in the race. City councilwoman and anti-Israel socialist Alexa Aviles was also considered a contender in the race, but has also declined to throw her hat in the ring. She likely would have had a tough time swaying voters to her cause without Mamdani, the most popular socialist in the city, supporting her.
NYC PROGRESSIVE BRAD LANDER TO LAUNCH BID FOR DAN GOLDMAN’S HOUSE SEAT
Lander has positioned himself with a swath of progressive support against Goldman heading into the new year. Goldman has not declared his reelection campaign, and a spokeswoman for his campaign told the New York Times he’s focused on legislating.
“He’s proud of his progressive record in Congress and will deal with Brad and other challengers in the new year,” Maddy Rosen, a Goldman spokeswoman, said.