In the early morning following Election Night, former federal prosecutor Dan Goldman was declared the winner of the Democratic primary to represent New York’s Tenth District in Congress, defeating Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou by a little more than 1,300 votes with 95 percent of precincts reporting.
But because of the state’s fusion-voting system, Niou could potentially challenge Goldman during the general election by choosing to run on the ballot line for the Working Families Party, which endorsed her during the primary.
“I’m currently speaking with WFP and my community about how we can best represent the needs of this district,” she said in a statement to Intelligencer. “Because what we can do together is too important to give up this fight, we must count every vote. I’m so grateful for the outpouring of support and all of the people who showed up and turned out. Our people need and deserve a voice.”
No official decision has been made yet, as the Washington Post first reported on Thursday. The argument for such a move stems from the fact that, though Goldman won outright, a larger majority of voters cast their ballot in favor of Niou, Congressman Mondaire Jones, and City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, who all campaigned as progressives. Though it’s not a certainty that the candidates’ supporters would automatically back Niou, there’s a belief that more of the district’s voters might back a single progressive candidate if given the opportunity.
The New York Working Families Party hasn’t said whether a challenge to Goldman on its ballot line is likely, but in an Election Night statement, continued to praise Niou and noted that there were votes that still hadn’t been counted.
“Despite being outspent by several million dollars and withstanding a torrent of attacks from Trump-aligned groups, Yuh-Line is within points of Dan Goldman in a heavily contested field. While there are still ballots left to be counted, what’s clear is that the overwhelming majority of voters chose a self-described progressive in this race, and people are hungry for authentic representation that will fight to defend abortion rights and put their needs ahead of the whims of the ultrawealthy,” said New York State director Sochie Nnaemeka.
Goldman’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
