New York Democrats are about to learn a brutal lesson about loyalty tests in Zohran Mamdani's party. One Democrat congressman is now on the verge of losing his primary, and the reason is quite ugly and far more revealing about where the Democrat Party is headed. Could a single foreign policy litmus test cost a Trump-impeachment hero his own seat?
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) is about to find out the hard way.
Goldman, the Democratic incumbent in New York's 10th Congressional District, is staring down near-certain defeat in Tuesday's primary. His sin isn't insufficient hostility toward Trump. Goldman rose to fame as lead counsel for House Democrats during Trump's first impeachment inquiry, a credential that would make him untouchable in most Democrat primaries. But in 2026, that credential means nothing.
What matters now is Israel.
Goldman's challenger, Brad Lander, a former New York City comptroller, has built his entire campaign around positioning himself as the pro-Mamdani, anti-Israel candidate. At a June campaign event, Lander promised supporters he would "join you in that fight to end occupation, and apartheid and genocide." He's accused Israel outright of genocide.
Goldman has tried to walk a tightrope, staying pro-Israel while attempting to placate the loudest critics of the Jewish state. It hasn't worked. Polling from mid-May had Lander crushing him 57% to 23%, with 20% still undecided. By the eve of the primary, prediction market Kalshi isn’t even bothering to ask who will win. The only question left was whether Lander's margin would exceed 45 points.
BREAKING: 28% chance that Brad Lander wins the NY-10 Democratic primary by 45%+ pic.twitter.com/PSGlYlxWKs
— Kalshi Politics (@KalshiPolitics) June 22, 2026
Goldman won reelection in 2024 with over 82% of the vote and won his primary with 65%.
“I don't think that Israel has played a bigger role in any district, any more than in this particular district,” CNN's chief data analyst Harry Enten said Monday. "Chance to be the NY-10 nominee, Dan Goldman, the incumbent, a hero of the Trump first impeachment trial among Democrats, only has a one, two, three percent chance of actually holding on to his Democratic designation," Enten said. He gave Lander a 98% shot at the nomination. Why has his district turned on him? He is seen by many in that district as being too pro-Israel."
CNN's Harry Enten covers the NY-10 Democratic primary
— Kalshi Politics (@KalshiPolitics) June 22, 2026
Current odds:
🟦 Brad Lander: 98%
🟦 Dan Golden: 2% pic.twitter.com/xFdc9f4qcx
When you consider how easily he won just last cycle, that tells you everything about how quickly the Democrat Party is evolving… or devolving.
Here’s the thing. New York's 10th District isn't an isolated case. It's one of several primaries on Tuesday where Mamdani-backed challengers are gunning for Democratic incumbents. Mamdani has already shown he can bend the party's establishment to his will, having previously forced Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) into delivering a financial bailout for New York City. Now he's rebuilding the congressional delegation in his own image, one purge at a time.
The Democrat Party's power players are bending the knee rather than risking Mamdani's wrath. What's happening in New York isn't really about Goldman, Lander, or even Israel anymore. It's about a socialist mayor consolidating control over the Democrat Party, and the rest of the party either falling in line or falling out of office. Welcome to the Mamdani-fication of the Democrat Party.
