Happy Tuesday in New York, where the city’s hottest election — the race between incumbent Congressmember Dan Goldman and former Comptroller Brad Lander for NY District 10 —  featured its first live debate yesterday.

The head-to-head promised to be a fiery one after weeks of attack ads and public callouts, and it did not disappoint. Goldman immediately went after Lander for repeatedly dodging a direct contest. “This is the very first time that we have been in the same room because my opponent will not debate me until now,” Goldman said. “The question that I have is, that if you can’t stand up to me, how are you going to stand up to Donald Trump?”

“I’m facing you right now, and we’ve done 30 forums, several of them I was there in person, and you didn’t even show up,” Lander responded. 

Throughout the debate, the two contenders traded barbs about housing, taxation and immigration. Lander made an effort to paint Goldman as a wealthy, establishment Democrat with ties to corporate donors. “Instead of taking on special interests, [Goldman] take[s] money from them, from Wall Street, crypto and AIPAC,” Lander said. 

Goldman, in turn, accused Lander of being a career politician more interested in political theater than tangible results, referring in part to a high-profile incident last year in which the then-Comptroller was arrested by ICE agents while escorting a migrant through 26 Federal Plaza. “[Lander is] getting arrested, but all he’s doing with that is fundraising — he's not actually helping any immigrants,” Goldman said.

The topic of Israel also featured prominently between the two contenders, both of whom are Jewish. Goldman, who has positioned himself as a strong supporter of Israel while remaining critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, said he was “proud” to participate in the Israel Day parade on Sunday, but also expressed his “disappointment” in the far-right influences featured at the parade.

Lander, who sat out the parade, accused Israel of “committing genocide in Gaza” and “violating Palestinian rights.” “I won’t be marching in the Israel Day parade alongside ministers in Netanyahu’s government,” Lander said. 

If you missed last night’s fireworks, don’t worry. There’s another debate scheduled for June 15. The final vote for control of NY’s 10th District – a jewel of congressional politics that includes lower Manhattan and neighborhoods in northwest Brooklyn — will take place on Nov. 3.    

Chidi Asoluka began teaching at a charter school in his hometown of Newark, NJ, to give back to his community, focusing on Black and brown students who had been historically marginalized in the U.S. school system. Instead, he found himself teaching for the test.

“I just felt that what we were teaching our students was more about compliance, test-taking skills, in the hopes that we were able to celebrate their college admissions,” he said. “I didn’t feel that we were doing enough to activate their imagination or to build community, all the things that I think are necessary to restore our communities.”

Learn about the policy design program Asoluka created to expand students’ potential.   

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