A sitting Democratic congressman just lost his seat, and he never even made it to November.
Brad Lander, the former New York City Comptroller, decisively defeated two-term incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in the Democratic primary for New York’s 10th Congressional District. The race was called by Decision Desk HQ within minutes of polls closing at 9 p.m. Eastern, a sign of just how dominant Lander’s performance was.
Lander ran squarely to Goldman’s left, with the Israel-Palestine conflict serving as a defining issue. He described Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as genocide and pledged to oppose additional U.S. military aid to Israel. Goldman, who is Jewish, took the opposite position, supporting military aid packages and rejecting the genocide label while calling for a ceasefire and a two-state solution.
According to a report, recent polling had already shown Lander with a commanding lead heading into Election Day, making the swift call unsurprising to those watching the race closely.
Lander brings a long resume in New York City politics. He served on the City Council representing Brooklyn’s 39th District from 2010 to 2021, where he co-founded the Council’s Progressive Caucus. He then won the New York City Comptroller race in 2021 and served in that role from 2022 into early 2026, overseeing city finances, auditing government operations, and managing public pension investments.
His path to this congressional race runs through a fascinating political alliance. Lander ran for New York City Mayor in 2025, finishing third in the initial round of ranked-choice voting behind then-State Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani and former Governor Andrew Cuomo. Lander and Mamdani had cross-endorsed each other during that campaign. When Lander was eliminated, the bulk of his voters’ preferences transferred to Mamdani, helping push him to the nomination. Mamdani went on to win the general election and become mayor.
With Mamdani in City Hall, Lander pivoted to Congress, announcing his candidacy for the 10th District seat. He entered with powerful backing, including an endorsement from Mayor Mamdani himself.
The 10th Congressional District covers parts of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, including neighborhoods like Park Slope, and carries a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of D+32. In a district that heavily Democratic, winning the primary is effectively winning the seat.
Lander is now considered a near-certain winner in the general election this November.
Goldman, meanwhile, becomes the latest moderate Democrat to find out the hard way how much the political ground has shifted in deep-blue urban districts. In a race shaped by foreign policy, generational politics, and progressive momentum, he simply couldn’t hold on.