A launch party was held for Congressmember Dan Goldman's re-election bid at the Golden Unicorn Restaurant in Chinatown on Tuesday.
It was an unusual amount of fanfare and fireworks for what would normally be cruise control for a two-term incumbent, but these are not normal times.
Challenging the former prosecutor in this year's Democratic primary is former City Comptroller Brad Lander, who made headlines last year when he was arrested by ICE agents at Federal Plaza.
A Lander spokesperson said in a statement, "Heir to the Levis Strauss fortune, Dan Goldman literally chummed it up with Don Jr. on vacation in the Bahamas, praising Trump's Israel policy. Brad recognizes the urgency of this moment, and he's ready to meet it."
Goldman responded to the statement saying, "If that's what he's running on, I hope he can find something a little more meaningful. I think what is clear about my record for about six years now is unlike him I have stood up to Donald Trump and I've won. That is what New Yorkers want. They don't just want performative politicians who are looking for their next job."
Both Goldman and Lander are Jewish.
Goldman, though, declined to endorse Zohran Mamdani for mayor over concerns about his commitment to stopping antisemitism in the city.
Lander, meanwhile, has the support of Mayor Mamdani.
The two cross-endorsed one another in the ranked-choice mayoral primary.
On Tuesday, Mayor Mamdani reiterated his support for Lander.
"I am proud to support our former Comptroller Brad Lander for Congress," he said. "I am proud to support him because of his honesty, his sincerity, and the vision he has shared with New Yorkers."
Goldman questioned Mamdani's support of Lander saying, "I think you have to ask the mayor why he's supporting a challenger to an incumbent who he did not hire for his own administration."
Goldman, meanwhile, supports the mayor's push for universal childcare, raising taxes on the wealthy and his vision for policing.
Then there is Democratic moderate Governor Kathy Hochul, who on Tuesday, threw her weight behind Goldman.
"He's exactly that kind of leader, taking on Donald Trump directly and fighting every day for our state, our democracy, and his district," she said.
District 10, a district that voted decisively for Mamdani, includes two Chinatowns, Wall Street, liberal affluent pockets of Brooklyn and the Orthodox Jewish community of Borough Park.
It is one of a half dozen or so competitive Democratic primaries in and around New York this year, with progressives inspired by Mamdani's win.
It's a fight for the future of the Democratic Party.
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