The Democratic Primary
August 19, 2022
Another key primary race in New York is the battle for the state’s 10th congressional district, where a crowded field of candidates is running to represent the newly redrawn district.According to some estimates, about a fifth of the population in the district is Jewish, meaning that the Jewish vote can truly make a difference in this race.
Our “State of the Race” series is highlighting here the four contenders that have performed best in the latest polls and their differing positions on antisemitism, Israel, and other key Jewish issues.
Dan Goldman
Daniel Goldman is an attorney and former federal prosecutor. Both he and his wife are Jewish, and, as such, he has emphasized during the campaign that outreach to the Jewish community was natural and organic. He has spoken out against antisemitism, rejected the BDS movement, and expressed strong support for Israel, which he describes as a “democratic beacon” in the region. Goldman supports a two-state solution, saying that a secure state for Israel and a demilitarized state for Palestinians is the only means to ensure that Israel remains both a democracy and a Jewish state. But he was also skeptic about the solution because he believed that “so long as the terrorist organization Hamas remains in control of Gaza, a durable peace cannot be achieved.”
About the intention of the U.S. administration to rejoin the nuclear agreement with Iran, he stated that the return “must be accompanied by both significantly longer sunset provisions that match the near-term risk that Iran poses to the region and more aggressive inspection protocols without conditions set by Iran.” Asked about whether he would support conditioning aid to Israel, Goldman said that “the United States must do whatever is necessary to support Israel’s security,” adding that he supported “the funding of U.S. security assistance to Israel, to ensure security from terror in all forms.”
Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou
Yuh-Line Niou, one of the leading candidates according to the polls, is currently serving as a member of the New York State Assembly, representing the 65th district. Assemblywoman Niou has differentiated herself from the other candidates in the race by expressing her support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. In the last debate prior to the election, she reiterated her defense of BDS and said she would have voted against the 2019 House resolution that rejected the bigoted movement. Moreover, she has associated herself with controversial figures, including by attending a fundraising event with a Palestinian comic who denounces Israel as “a terrorist state” and “worse” than apartheid.
In terms of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Assemblywoman Niou has said that the United States should work towards “ending the occupation and ensuring freedom and dignity for all,” and argued that there should be “proactive steps to hold the Israeli government accountable for violations of human rights.” She has endorsed also the legislation introduced by Rep. Betty McCollum that seeks to condition U.S. security aid to Israel. On Iran, pointing to her support for the original Iran deal negotiated by the Obama administration, Niou stated that “President Biden should move quickly to re-enter an agreement to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power.”
Rep. Mondaire Jones
Mondaire Jones currently represents New York’s 17th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, but he chose to run in the 10th District after the state’s congressional map was redrawn. In Congress, he has been vocal on the need to take action to prevent antisemitic attacks, and this year he co-lead a letter calling for increased funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program after the antisemitic attack in a synagogue in Colleyville, TX. Rep. Jones has stated that he supports the U.S.-Israel alliance and that he is committed to strengthening the relationship, while supporting the two-state solution. Rep. Jones has repeatedly argued that “supporting Israel’s survival as a Jewish and democratic state and supporting Palestinian human rights and self-determination are not mutually exclusive.” He has said that he opposes the BDS movement.
In November 2021, he was a part of the bipartisan group of 87 members of Congress that urged President Biden to request that Congress include the vital supplemental Iron Dome funding in an appropriations bill before the end of the year. Lastly, he was an early supporter of the Iran nuclear deal, arguing that the agreement “aimed to hold Iran accountable in an effort to decrease tensions and avoid a costly war.” In 2020, when he was first elected in Congress, he expressed his hope to “to help broker a similar (though hopefully better) deal that limits Iran’s nuclear capabilities in exchange for lifting certain sanctions, provides for a robust system for outside monitoring, and reduces hostility between Iran and its neighbors in the region and worldwide.”
Councilwoman Carlina Rivera
Carlina Rivera has been representing the 2nd district of the New York City Council since 2018. Councilwoman Rivera was previously associated with the Democratic Socialists of America during her campaign in 2017, but she has tried to distance herself from the controversial group and stated that she has not been endorsed by them. She has highlighted during her interviews that she visited Israel with other Councilmembers and has called it a “very memorable experience.” According to the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), Rivera responded to their questionnaire stating that she believes that it was a travesty to pull out of the Iran Nuclear Deal and that it’s paramount that we try every diplomatic solution to revive it.
Similar to the other candidates running in NY-10, Councilwoman Rivera has stated her support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She opposes the BDS movement because she says that it has not advanced the aim of a peaceful two-state solution. Asked if she would support anti-BDS legislation in Congress, she said that she would support “sensible, pro-peace legislation,” adding that she is wary of the “economic impact of BDS on ordinary Israelis and Palestinians, as well as Jewish businesses and places of worship in New York City.”