Dan Goldman, Democratic counsel during Trump’s first impeachment, will win New York House primary, CNN projects

By Gregory Krieg, CNN

Former federal prosecutor Dan Goldman will win the Democratic nomination for New York’s 10th Congressional District, CNN projected Tuesday, after state Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou conceded.

Goldman’s victory puts the party’s lead counsel at former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial on a path to join the House.

A moderate running in one of the country’s most liberal districts, Goldman benefited from a logjam of progressive candidates vying for the newly drawn, open seat in Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. Niou, who is on track to finish a close second, openly considered a third-party bid against Goldman in November. But she — along with the Working Families Party, whose ballot line she could have run on — ultimately decided against it.

“I will not be on the WFP line for the general,” Niou said in a video posted late Tuesday. “We simply do not have the resources to fight all fights at the same time, and we must protect our democracy now.”

The prospect of a coming avalanche of outside spending from pro-Israel groups and the ability of Goldman, an heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. fortune, to pour additional personal funds into the race — he spent nearly $5 million during the primary — was among the leading factors that dissuaded Niou and the WFP from launching a new campaign.

Goldman’s victory also means that Rep. Mondaire Jones, who moved to the district rather than take on Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the chair of the Democrats’ House campaign arm, in another redrawn district outside the city that included most of his current constituents, will be leaving the House after one term. After Niou and Jones, City Council member Carlina Rivera rounded out the top four — the only candidates to break double digits in a field of 12 active candidates. The 13th on the ballot, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, dropped out in July.

In a statement released shortly after Niou ended her campaign, Goldman said he looked forward to helping Democrats keep their House and Senate majorities in the fall.

“I am excited to get to work alongside every person in this district to make a real difference in the lives of New Yorkers,” Goldman said. “Each of the candidates in this race raised critical issues that must be addressed in City Hall, Albany and Washington, and I learned so much from them during the primary.”

Goldman will be the overwhelming favorite in a general election against Republican and Conservative Party nominee Benine Hamdan, who ran unopposed.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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