Liberals complain about frontrunner Dan Goldman’s elite background, but liberal votes may be permanently splintered among multiple candidates in the newly created 10th District
From left, Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou, Rep. Mondaire Jones, Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon, Council Member Carlina Rivera, former Rep.. Liz Holtzman and lawyer Daniel Goldman participate in New York's 10th Congressional District Democratic primary debate on Aug. 10. | Mary Altaffer/AP PhotoTwo Democratic rivals in one of the nation’s most competitive House primaries hastily called a press conference less than 24 hours ago to deliver a blunt message: Vote for a woman on Tuesday.
“I do believe that progressives need to consolidate,” said New York State Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, the third major female candidate in Tuesday’s primary. The idea behind the event originated with the Jones campaign, Niou explained in an interview. It wanted to highlight the influence of Goldman’s war chest on the race — his spending has dwarfed that of his four main rivals — and why it could be “dangerous to basically have this kind of representation,” Niou said, amid an “affordability crisis” and rising inflation.
into the race, according to FEC filings, and cemented his frontrunner status by winning The New York Times’ endorsement.“Look, everybody comes into this race with different advantages,” Goldman said, citing the congressional campaign account Jones brought after shifting to a district 30 miles south of his current seat in the wake of redistricting. “But in a very short race like this, I thought it was much more important to be out speaking to the voters rather than the donors.
The presence of three powerhouse progressive women in the field is exerting its own force on the primary, presenting an awkward choice for other influential liberals, some of whom have ties to multiple candidates. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , for example, endorsed Jones in his first congressional bid and Niou in her Assembly bid but has stayed out of the race.