After Goldman seemingly wins narrow pluralty in 10th Congressional District, a WFP challenge from Niou in November? Brisport easily holds state Senate seat.

In a low-turnout August election for the new 10th Congressional District, which includes Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, the relatively moderate, significantly self-funded (and NY Times-endorsed) candidate, former impeachment counsel Dan Goldman, seems to have won a narrow plurality, at least without the absentee ballots counted, according to the Times.

The farthest left candidate, Yuh-Line Niou, came in second, and did not concede, saying she wanted to see the absentee ballots counted.

That leaves open the possibility that she could challenge Goldman in November on the Working Families Party line; see this argument.

She'd still be battling uphill, and that doesn't mean that votes from Mondaire Jones and Carlina Rivera would necessarily go to her. 

Journalist Ross Barkan suggested that Jones, a sitting Congressman who relocated to Brooklyn to run in the new district, faced the biggest loss.

Interestingly, as indicated on the maps, Niou might have triumphed had the votes that went to more conservative Chinese-American candidates gone to her.

Embarrassing mea culpa: I put the incorrect year in the title for several of the NY primary maps I posted last night and this morning. It should be *2022@? Thx to @CKJohnsonBk for catching it. Corrected #NY10 maps below. Corrected maps for #NY12 will be next. Sorry! pic.twitter.com/lnHLsvc6Ob

— Steven Romalewski (@SR_spatial) August 24, 2022

Either way, the results--including lagging performance for Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon and former Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman--suggest an argument for ranked choice voting, so voters could add second and third preferences and thus keep their votes meaningful.

Such voting reform is part of a suite of suggestions to increase turnout, including open primaries and better timing for elections, as reported by The CITY.

The big picture

On his Substack, Barkan suggested that "Goldman’s politics do not differ in any meaningful way from most of the New York City’s House delegation’s politics," calling him an "Israel hawk in the mold of Chuck Schumer" and noting that he'd "pivoted left" on abortion.

But he spent a lot of his own money, and raised money from Wall Street and real estate. In the Times, author Kim Phillips-Fein 8/24/22 wrote What Two Primaries Reveal About the Decline of Working-Class Democrats:

The narrow victory of Mr. Goldman illustrates even more sharply the political crisis of working-class New York. In addition to being an heir to the Levi-Strauss fortune, Mr. Goldman is a type well known to denizens of Lower Manhattan, a successful lawyer who was able to self-fund his campaign. He is clearly a candidate whose political appeal was strongest for the new leaders of the Village and Lower Manhattan, the professional upper classes who work in law firms and investment banks, who fund their children’s schools’ parent-teacher associations and the park conservancies.

This is a social world that has little meaningful overlap with the working-class population, often Asian and Latino, that still dwells here but lacks the confident political organization and alliances with the middle class that it once possessed.

Mr. Goldman’s political fortunes rose with his role as lead counsel in the first impeachment suit against Mr. Trump; his path to the House was largely paved by this rather than any deep engagement with the kinds of material issues that affect the lives of working- or even middle-class New Yorkers.

Well, he also got the votes of Hasidic Jews in Borough Park, who vote as a bloc, and would not consider Niou, far more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.

A victory for real estate?

The Real Deal noted:

Goldman’s win — or, more specifically, Niou’s loss — was a big plus for the [real estate] industry and for political consultant Jeff Leb, known for running political action committees funded by real estate interests.

A PAC tied to Leb had poured money into ads opposing Niou, who was backed by the Working Families Party.

Rivera was supported by the YIMBY group Open New York, which opposed Niou.

Note that federal legislators have less direct impact on local real estate than city or state legislators, but they can have some impact--as I wrote, for example, regarding EB-5 investments.

Brisport easily holds seat

I didn't preview the election, but 25th District state Sen. Jabari Brisport, a Democratic Socialist, easily held his seat, which includes the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park site, though Mayor Eric Adams supported rival Conrad Tillard.

As Barkan wrote in New York:

Tuesday’s leftist victors will now be further emboldened to fight for tougher tenant and environmental laws next year. Amid a citywide housing crisis, top priorities include passing the “good-cause eviction” law and banning broker fees for apartments. 

That, to the Real Deal, also raises questions about renewing/replacing the now-expired 421-a tax break, which Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park developers consider crucial to new construction.in the race.

Fro, Brisport's Q&A with Tenants and Neighbors,

How do you define affordable housing?

Much of what we are told is affordable housing is not. I define affordable housing as housing that is largely government subsidized and available to a wide range of incomes (for example between 0 and 200,000 a year) not just some percentage of the AMI because in a lot of gentrified districts (including district 25), this standard leaves most middle class and poor people out of qualifying for "affordable housing". I define as affordable housing as housing that poor and middle income people can actually afford (for example, no more than 30% of their income). This must include provisions for people who make no income and our homeless population, who also deserve housing.

What do you consider the most important issue facing New York State in terms of housing supply and affordable housing, and how would you address it?

A top priority in my district is the funding of public housing. For far too long, the city, state, and federal governments have failed to fulfill their commitments to NYCHA residents. I support fully funding public housing with the money that we have long owed to residents. I will continue to work with our federal representatives to secure funding, and fight to include $3.4 billion in capital funding and $2.8 billion in operating funding in the state budget so that NYCHA can remain financially solvent, spend all budgeted capital, establish vocational resident training programs, support resident management, and address its unacceptable work order backlog. 

If you had the power to enact one change to our rent and eviction protection laws, what would it be? 

I would pass Good Cause Eviction to prevent landlords from evicting tenants where they have no “good cause” to do so, and would give tenants the power to fight back against the astronomical rent hikes facing so many in my district. We came very close to passing it in the last legislative session and I believe we can succeed in passing it in the next cycle.

On his campaign website, Brisport cited a variety of endorsements, including from City Comptroller Brad Lander and 36th District Council Member Chi Ossé, but not, interestingly enough, from 35th District CM Crystal Hudson.

His extensive platform does not mention Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, but does express criticism of developers:

End tax breaks for developers. It was a good first step to let 421a, a property tax exemption that allows developers expire. That legislation allowed real-estate developers to skirt billions of dollars in property taxes, and create a large amount of unaffordable housing, in exchange for creating a small amount of affordable housing for a limited period of time. But there is still much more to be done. I strongly support a vacancy tax, which would penalize developers and landlords who seek higher profits by leaving properties empty. We should not be subsidizing wealthy developers, but should instead reclaim this revenue and reinvest it in NYCHA and other permanently affordable, socialized housing.

He has attended events sponsored by the BrooklynSpeaks coaltion and backed their call for enforcement of fines for the missing Urban Room.

His main rival, the Tillard, was supported by Adams for his public safety stance (against defunding the police, reform cash bail), but had less to say about housing. From his web site:

Housing costs in the 25th District are rising dramatically. Whether you’re a homeowner, renter, or NYCHA resident, all residents deserve equitable and fair protection. Tenant and homeowner rights go hand in hand.

As senator, I will work to make sure all housing options are protected. I’ll fight for affordable rents and defend renters’ rights. Homeowners should be provided the help and resources they need to protect their piece of the American Dream. This campaign is about equity across the board, and that means increased funding for repairs/security/upkeep for our NYCHA properties.

Civic service means fostering a sustained, open dialogue with everyone from business owners, to block associations and tenants’ rights groups, to impromtu stoop meeting with neighbors. I will make sure your needs are well represented in Albany.

I won’t turn a blind eye against predatory developers who want to change the character of our community. I will challenge fraudulent practices and support taxing developers at an equitable rate.