As we approach the 2026 midterms, Democrats face a critical imperative: regaining the House of Representatives to blunt the authoritarian momentum of Trump’s second term. But we must also reckon with an uncomfortable truth — winning back the House isn’t enough if we’re electing the wrong Democrats. We cannot simply rubber-stamp incumbency or subscribe to the dangerous notion that “any blue will do,” especially in this moment when democracy itself hangs in the balance.

Some Democrats, despite their party affiliation, have been part of the problem. Their actions, words, and approach to governance have undermined the very democratic values — with a small “d” — that we desperately need to defend, especially in this moment. Dan Goldman, the representative for New York’s 10th Congressional District, is a prime example of this failure, and his story should serve as a warning to Democratic voters nationwide.

I’ve lived in what is New York’s 10th Congressional District for most of my adult life — where my family knows our neighbors, where we’ve built a life rooted in the values I believed long defined the varied communities across the district: respect for the truth and one another, the sanctity of life, and genuine democratic representation.

When Dan Goldman first ran for Congress, the warning signs were there. A self-funded mega-millionaire — estimates place his wealth at a quarter-billion dollars — with no deep ties to the district, no history of organizing or engagement in the political and social life that make the storied neighborhoods in NY-10 — the Village, the Lower East Side, Sunset Park, Park Slope — what they are. He bought his way into office, outspending his opponents with his personal fortune in a district that prides itself on progressive values and grassroots politics.

But what has unfolded over the past two years has been far worse than simply having a disconnected, wealthy representative. Dan Goldman has demonstrated something more troubling: real disdain for his constituents and for democratic values themselves.

This became undeniable through his response — both in language and action — to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. As the death toll climbed into the untold thousands, as children were buried under rubble, as entire neighborhoods and family lineages were erased, thousands of constituents organized to end the slaughter. We wrote letters — hundreds of them. We signed petitions. We held vigils. We did everything citizens are supposed to do in a democracy to make our voices heard.

Goldman’s response? Dismissal. Gaslighting constituents and continuous defense of the indefensible. A steadfast refusal — apparently an office policy — to meet with constituents about Gaza.

It’s no wonder. Goldman’s votes over the last two years have been appalling. In 2023, He joined forces with hateful MAGA Republicans to censure Rashida Tlaib, one of his Democratic colleagues and the only Palestinian member of Congress, for speaking out about Palestinian human rights. This move put him wildly out of step not just with our district, but with the Democratic caucus itself. While other Democratic representatives defended Rep. Tlaib’s First Amendment rights, Goldman sided with those who sought to either silence her or put a target on her back.

Goldman signed a congressional letter spearheaded by Trump’s lackeys in the House expressing “disgust” at South Africa for bringing a genocide case against Israel before the International Court of Justice — a case the court found, given the disturbingly voluminous evidence, had strong merit. For someone who claims to be a legal champion for justice and accountability, this was especially disgraceful.

When the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice thoroughly investigated Israeli actions and made legal findings regarding war crimes and genocide in Gaza, Goldman actively worked to undermine, even sanction, these international legal bodies. The rule of law for Goldman, the self-proclaimed consummate legal professional, it seems, only matters when it’s politically convenient.

And it’s not just votes.

In late Fall of 2023, constituents organized a stroller march. Hundreds of parents and children gathered to mourn the thousands of Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces. Our children — NY-10 children — placed handmade peace doves on Goldman’s Brooklyn district office. These were simple paper doves, crafted by small hands, symbols of hope and innocence.

Goldman had them ripped down in the cover of night.

When constituents returned, they were greeted not with dialogue or even feigned empathy but with NYPD barricades. Those barricades remained until Goldman eventually closed that storefront office permanently some months later, relocating to an essentially hidden space within Industry City — a new, controversial development that is essentially a high-end commercial mall. His other “district office”? A high-security federal building skyscraper in Lower Manhattan, complete with armed police and x-ray machines, where constituents are forbidden entry without appointments. 

The message was clear: stay away. This is a representative who has made himself deliberately inaccessible to the very people he’s supposed to serve.

When students at Columbia University set up a peaceful encampment to protest the Israeli atrocities in Gaza, Goldman called for armed NYPD to raid the campus and dismantle it. Either ignoring or ignorant of what such a police raid would mean for the First Amendment and for the safety of young people, he essentially advocated for the very predictable violence that ensued. During the raid on Hamilton Hall, a police officer’s gun discharged as they violently cleared the building. Students’ lives were put at risk, exactly as many New Yorkers predicted, knowing the NYPD’s terrible and well-documented track record of escalating situations and using excessive force.

Meanwhile, Goldman’s hypocrisy around the threat posed by Trump and the MAGA movement is staggering. Goldman built his pre-congressional career as an impeachment lawyer, positioning himself as a champion of democracy and the rule of law, someone who would fight Trump and Trumpism at every turn. Yet he has been more than willing to accept funding and support from Trump donors as well as AIPAC, a group that has funded and continues to fund many of the leading congressional members who participated in or encouraged the January 6th insurrection and attempted to overturn the 2020 election.

The list could go on.

Yet I also want to be clear: no elected official will agree with their constituents on everything. Districts are diverse, opinions vary, and reasonable people can disagree on complex policy issues. That’s democracy. We don’t expect perfection.

But what disqualifies Dan Goldman isn’t a few strikes on his record. It’s the pattern of arrogant dismissal and disdain for constituents themselves. It’s the refusal to engage, the physical barricades, the closed offices, his constant alignment with forces and defense of genocidal actors wholly antithetical to our shared values, the willingness to put our city’s young people in physical danger, the betrayal of the very principles he claims to uphold.

This is why the “any blue will do” mentality is so dangerous. Goldman wears a Democratic label, but his actions undermine democratic values at every turn. He silences dissent. He barricades himself from constituents. He attacks international legal institutions. He funds his campaigns with personal wealth and money from groups that support insurrectionists. He calls police on peaceful student protesters. These are not the actions of someone defending democracy — they are the actions of someone who views democratic participation as an inconvenience or a threat.

Our district just voted by an overwhelming margin for Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a progressive champion deeply connected to diverse communities across New York City. Dan Goldman couldn’t even bring himself to endorse Mamdani – the Democratic nominee. The overwhelming support for Mamdani in NY-10 reflects who we are: a diverse, progressive district that believes in justice, human rights, and genuine representation.

The fact is Dan Goldman has never been that representative.

His wealth isolated him from the start. His actions over the past two years have shown us who he really is: someone who views his constituents as problems to be barricaded against rather than people to serve.

As Democrats nationwide strategize to win back the House in 2026, we must learn from districts like NY-10. Yes, we absolutely need to flip Republican seats. But we also need to ensure that the Democrats we elect—and re-elect—actually deserve to serve, that they will be real leaders in this critical moment, not obstacles to the very values we claim to defend.

As we look toward new leadership for NY-10 and in districts across the country, constituents are not just demanding someone whose votes and character align with our basic values. We are looking forward to a representative who is genuinely committed to true democracy, to the well-being of the children in their districts and children across the world, including – and in this moment especially — Palestinian  children. Someone who will meet with constituents, listen to constituents, and understand that serving in Congress is a responsibility, not a vanity project funded by personal wealth or by donors and lobbyists enabling genocide and apartheid abroad while undermining our already fragile democracy at home.

We deserve a representative who sees those paper doves made by children’s hands and understands they represent the best of what we are: a community that refuses to accept violence and injustice, wherever it occurs, and especially when it is being done with our public monies and support.

Dan Goldman never was, and never will be, that representative. He has made that abundantly clear. It’s time for NY-10 to have real representation and real leadership in Congress — and for Democrats nationwide to demand the same from their party.

Kumar Rao is a social justice lawyer and proud Brooklyn resident in NY’s 10th Congressional District.

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