Dan Goldman. Photo: Zach Gibson/Getty Images.
Former impeachment lawyer Dan Goldman on Tuesday defeated a crowded field of primary rivals in New York's 10th district, including Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), according to AP.
Why it matters: Goldman is poised to be the first new member of Congress most residents of the Manhattan and Brooklyn-based district have had in decades, after a chaotic redistricting process carved out a brand new district in the heart of New York City with no incumbent.
- Jones, a progressive rising star, left his seat in the city’s Northern suburbs after redistricting pitted him against several Democratic colleagues.
The backdrop: Goldman gained steam in the final stages of the race thanks to an endorsement from the New York Times and an attack from former President Trump — which later morphed into a backhanded endorsement.
- The heir to the Levi Strauss & Co fortune, Goldman was also fueled by roughly $4 million in self-funding, which he said allowed him to focus more on courting voters than donors.
- Goldman was cast as the most moderate major candidate, with his progressive rivals seizing on his wealth and comments he made endorsing some restrictions to abortion, which he later walked back.
- Among his opponents were state Assemblywomen Yuh-Line Niou and Jo Anne Simon, city Councilwoman Carlina Rivera and former Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman.
The intrigue: Unlike almost any other candidate in the country, Goldman, who served as the lead counsel to Democrats’ first impeachment effort against Trump, focused his campaign on issues like democracy and Jan. 6, often invoking his impeachment credentials.
- He told Axios in an interview last month: "I'm focused a little bit more on the overarching ... unprecedented and existential threats we are facing," which, he said, "need to be resolved first, before we can focus on the progressive policies."
- The last weeks of the campaign saw his progressive rivals team up to try to halt his momentum.
What's next: The district is one of the most Democratic-leaning in the country, giving Goldman an all-but-certain path to Congress.
- Goldman told Axios that, in Congress, he would aim to join committees "that are primarily responsible for investigations and oversight, because that’s what I have unique experience to do."
- He also said he would push for legislation protecting voting rights and repealing the Hyde Amendment.