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Brad Lander, an ally of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, won the Democratic primary in a progressive New York House district on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, in a race that hinged largely on the candidates’ different stances on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

With 53 percent of the vote counted, Mr. Lander, a former city comptroller and mayoral candidate who has criticized Israel’s war in Gaza, was almost 30 points ahead of the incumbent, Representative Dan Goldman, a pro-Israel former federal prosecutor who helped lead the first impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

Mr. Lander benefited from his deep roots in the 10th District, which covers Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. His victory makes him the likely winner of the general election in November.

Mr. Lander, 56, was one of three progressive primary candidates endorsed by Mr. Mamdani, with whom he has had a political alliance since last year’s Democratic mayoral primary.

The two men began as rivals, but cross-endorsed each other as the primary date closed in, saying they wanted to work together to keep former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo from winning the nomination. Their alliance has elevated them both — Mr. Mamdani to City Hall, and Mr. Lander to the cusp of a congressional victory.

Mr. Lander reflected on the decision to team up with Mr. Mamdani during a televised debate last week, saying it had modeled a new kind of politics for New York.

“It unleashed a nice sense of solidarity,” he said on the debate stage. “People said to me, ‘Wait, you mean politics doesn’t have to be a sour, selfish ego trip — it can be a team sport for the values you share?’”

Among several closely watched primaries across the city and state, the contest in the 10th District was notable for the degree to which it was dominated by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Both Mr. Lander and Mr. Goldman are Jewish and describe themselves as liberal Zionists, but they approach the issue in very different ways.

Mr. Lander has spent decades in the world of progressive Jewish activism, working with organizations like Jews for Racial and Economic Justice and cofounding the New York Jewish Agenda, a left-leaning group.

He has also been a longtime player in Democratic politics in New York City, and entered the primary with a committed base and a groundswell of good will in the district.

He spent many years running a community development organization in Park Slope, then served on the City Council for more than a decade representing several of the congressional district’s neighborhoods. After he left the Council, he served as city comptroller, during which time he chose not to repurchase State of Israel bonds that had matured.

Mr. Lander has been an outspoken critic of Israel since the start of the war in Gaza, which began after the Hamas-led terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

Mr. Lander has backed claims by human rights groups and a United Nations commission that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, frequently using that word on the campaign trail, and has said he supports legislation to block U.S. military aid to the country until it meets human rights standards.

Mr. Goldman’s views hew more closely to the longtime status quo in American politics regarding the U.S.-Israel relationship. He is a critic of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, but has said he supports continuing to provide the military aid that underpins the decades-long alliance between the two countries.

And he has said he does not believe Israel has committed genocide in Gaza or that its treatment of the Palestinians can fairly be described as apartheid — another word Mr. Lander frequently uses — calling them ideologically charged terms.

Mr. Goldman accepted the endorsement of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a hard-line pro-Israel lobbying group increasingly shunned by Democrats, but was also endorsed by J Street, a more liberal pro-Israel group.


https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/nyregion/ny10-primary-lander.html

  • CyborgMarx [any, any]@hexbear.net
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    Fashioning himself a “liberal Zionist,” Lander attacked Goldman relentlessly on the campaign trail over the perception that the incumbent hasn’t been forceful enough in speaking out against Israel’s war in Gaza, which has left more than 75,000 Palestinians dead after being launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack. Lander has blasted Goldman for not supporting legislation to block more U.S. military aid for Israel and accused him of kow-towing to pro-Israel lobbying groups by not calling the country’s war a “genocide.”

    In his victory speech, Lander kept taking shots at Goldman on that front — and even took aim at former President Joe Biden.

    “Our party needs to admit that Joe Biden’s ‘hug Bibi’ strategy was a catastrophic mistake. I believe it made us complicit in genocide,” Lander said, refrring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Neyanyahu. “Bombs we paid for killed more than 70,000 Palestinians — most of them women and children. Tanks we paid for left a million people homeless. Humanitarian aid still is not getting in.”

    If this is where the ‘liberal zionists’ are, then this is a win; yes, one day this milquetoast bullshit will be viewed as the soft genocide denial that it is, but if the left can get Jewish American politicians in the heart of Jewish America to utter these words, then we’re winning

    • UmbraVivi [he/him, she/her]@hexbear.net
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      In a just world, anything short of denouncing Israel’s right to exist should still get a politician sent to the Hague. It’s depressing that this is as good as it gets.

      if the left can get Jewish American politicians in the heart of Jewish America to utter these words, then we’re winning

      This is the main takeaway here. Lander still sucks, but the needle is clearly shifting.

    • Chana [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      If this is where the ‘liberal zionists’ are

      Of course they are. This is the left wing of American liberal Zionism. They put the blame on Netanyahu, speak in terms of strategic errors in how Israel was supported, do not criticize the project itself and defend it instead. This is very on-brand for liberal Zionists.

      then this is a win;

      “Elect more Zionists!”, says @CyborgMarx@hexbear.net.

      yes, one day this milquetoast bullshit will be viewed as the soft genocide denial that it is, but if the left can get Jewish American politicians in the heart of Jewish America to utter these words, then we’re winning

      “He was the nicest Nazi and that’s a win for the left”, they said.

      • CyborgMarx [any, any]@hexbear.net
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        So “the left wing of American liberal Zionism” opposes genocide, apartheid, and US funding for Israel? You think that’s on-brand for liberal Zionists? You’re incoherent

        “Elect more Zionists!”, says @CyborgMarx@hexbear.net.

        Zionists just ate compete shit with these three elections; you’re literally delusional, who did AIPAC support in these elections?

        “He was the nicest Nazi and that’s a win for the left”, they said

        I’m so sorry material reality is so depressing for you, but if you think Jewish America is going to abandon its Zionist tendencies in the immediate future, then you’re a utopian with no grounding in scientific socialism, so yes, American Jews who three years ago supported a genocide electing a Jewish politician who now after left pressure opposes genocide and funding for Israel IS A FUCKIN WIN

        • Chana [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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          So “the left wing of American liberal Zionism” opposes genocide

          Not entirely. The left wing of American Zionism currently calls the hot genocide on Gaza a genocide and claims opposition to it while doing little materially against it (and often materially supporting it). They do not describe Israel’s history as genocidal nor the project itself as genocidal, they limit it to events since October 7.

          So they oppose some forms of Zionist genocide but not others.

          apartheid

          They tend to still support apartheid but a smattering might favor one state solution and integration and so on. But that’s a very fine line for the latter to walk. I’m pretty sure Lander explicitly defends Israel’s “right to exist” as a “Jewish state”, i.e. he supports apartheid.

          and US funding for Israel?

          Yes this is a fairly common left wing of Zionism position, usually something they put on quite a show about, “agonizing” over it. Though it’s usually limited, e.g. “no money for bombs during genocide done by Netanyahu”. Does Lander claim to be against all US funding to Israel?

          Zionists just ate compete shit with these three elections; you’re literally delusional, who did AIPAC support in these elections?

          It does not change the fact that you’re celebrating the election of a Zionist as, simply, a win.

          I’m so sorry material reality is so depressing for you, but if you think Jewish America is going to abandon its Zionist tendencies in the immediate future, then you’re a utopian with no grounding in scientific socialism

          That’s not a goalpost I have set. I am noting your modernized Nazi apologetics, however.

          so yes, American Jews who three years ago supported a genocide electing a Jewish politician who now after left pressure opposes genocide and funding for Israel IS A FUCKIN WIN

          He was the nicest elected Nazi, they said.

          • CyborgMarx [any, any]@hexbear.net
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            10 days ago

            Not entirely. The left wing of American Zionism currently calls the hot genocide on Gaza a genocide and claims opposition to it while doing little materially against it

            No they fuckin don’t, the best you can get out of those rats is “peace and two states, peace and two states” a form of soft genocide denial and delusion, that’s why Landers, despite being liberal zionist is an anomaly, not because he came to the correct position through his own intuition, but because the DSA leashed the fucker and forced him into running on soft anti-zionism in the heart of Jewish America AND HE WON

            Nobody cares about the dipshit’s personal beliefs or trusts him; we care that it’s been proven he can be a useful idiot for the left, and a shield against smears. He handed us Dan Goldman’s defeat and you don’t have an coherent argument against that reality that isn’t based in delusion that mirrors liberal zionists

            • Chana [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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              No they fuckin don’t, the best you can get out of those rats is “peace and two states, peace and two states” a form of soft genocide denial and delusion

              You say “no they don’t” and then just listed an example of how they do lol. But the left wing of liberal Zionism got dragged into calling the destruction of Gaza and the Palestinians living there a genocide over time. Hell even some particularly incoherent liberal Zionists call it a genocide even as they repeat islamophobic Hasbara and stoke fear about how equality would mean the death of all Jewish people. Ask me how I know that last one lol.

              that’s why Landers, despite being liberal zionist is an anomaly, not because he came to the correct position through his own intuition, but because the DSA leashed the fucker and forced him into running on soft anti-zionism in the heart of Jewish America AND HE WON

              Those are some confident active verbs. He was leashed? Forced? You’re sure he didn’t just see an opportunity to benefit from the sea change, gambling on tying himself to Mamdani? To me, it looks like simple bourgeois electoral quid pro quo, though the quid and quo and all rhetoric and simply winning an election.

              Nobody cares about the dipshit’s personal beliefs or trusts him; we care that it’s been proven he can be a useful idiot for the left

              This is also a dressing up of the previous quid pro quo thing. Congratulations, Mamdani has a Jewish hanger-on in office. Regarding winning for the left, do you remember Mamdani endorsing him over the left candidate? Not that big of a useful idiot, more like someone that also got what he wanted at the expense of the left, but who benefitted Mamdani.

              and a shield against smears

              Already addressed in a different thread.

              He handed us Dan Goldman’s defeat and you don’t have an coherent argument against that reality that isn’t based in delusion that mirrors liberal zionists

              An argument against what? That Lander won against Goldman? Is that what you think we’re talking about?

              • CyborgMarx [any, any]@hexbear.net
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                You say “no they don’t” and then just listed an example of how they do lol

                You claimed liberal zionists are anti-genocide, anti-apartheid, anti-funding, actual real liberal Zionist bullshit rhetoric like “peace and two states, peace and two states” does not entail any of that

                You don’t even know basic facts about the enemy and you’re yapping at me about purity of socialist politics

                Already addressed in a different thread.

                No you didn’t, you made a bold-faced nonsensical assertion with no evidence, despite the fact Landers has successfully defused anti-semitic accusations against other DSA candidates, most predominantly Zohran, you have no clue what you’re talking because you don’t follow the actual course of the races

                • Chana [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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                  You claimed liberal zionists are anti-genocid

                  I claimed that the left wing of liberal Zionism claims to be. Most do not and it’s important to distinguish the claim vs. action and where the hard limits are.

                  anti-apartheid

                  No actually I said something else. You can reply to what I did say if you want.

                  anti-funding

                  I already addressed this. If you care about it you can respond to what I already said.

                  actual real liberal Zionist bullshit rhetoric like “peace and two states, peace and two states” does not entail any of that

                  We’re discussing Lander, I pointed out he’s on the left of American liberal Zionism. Based on his past statements and actions he seems to be in that “peace and two states” camp or at least makes comments in that vein, like affirming the right of Israel to exist as a “Jewish state”. That implies apartheid or even more genocide, take your pick.

                  You don’t even know basic facts about the enemy and you’re yapping at me about purity of socialist politics

                  And we’re back to the status quo of ignoring what I say and then getting petty.

                  No you didn’t

                  Yes I did and I’ll reply in that thread not here.