NEW YORK (PIX11) — New York’s most crowded and competitive race for Congress may be shaping up as a three-person race — and perhaps more interesting than who appears to be on top is who’s falling behind.
New York City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, born and raised on the Lower East Side to a mother who emigrated from Puerto Rico, has catapulted to the front of the race for New York 10.
The newly formed district includes Lower Manhattan, as well as Brooklyn neighborhoods like Park Slope, Red Hook and Sunset Park.
According to a new Data for Progress poll, Rivera is the choice of 17% of Democratic Primary voters. She is followed by Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou at 14% and former Assistant US Attorney Dan Goldman at 12%.
Rivera continues to push abortion rights at the city level and has picked up several endorsements lately from labor groups and fellow elected officials.
“The labor movement has been important in ensuring people know their rights and have access to good paying jobs and stability in their lives affordability, and a great job can create that,” Rivera said.
Niou has been a progressive champion in the statehouse and is supported by the Working Families Party. She is known on Twitter for directly communicating with supporters — and meeting every dog she can on the campaign trail.
Goldman is an experienced former Assistant U.S. Attorney who has raised more money than his competitors. He is positioning himself as leading on major issues of the day like guns and inflation. However, front and center in his campaign is the experience of working with congressional Democrats to lead the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump, who may very well run again in 2024.
“[I’m] the only candidate who has actually stood up to President Trump before,” Goldman said. “As we try to take back our democracy, take back our fundamental rights, the voters want a fighter who has experience in Washington and has been effective.”
However, perhaps just as interesting as who is doing well in this poll is who is not.
Congressman Mondaire Jones, who moved from the Hudson Valley to the district to run, has not gained traction yet according to the poll. Jones, who is currently working on abortion rights issues as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, took issue with some of the poll’s methodology.
“The poll shows 50% of folks in New York’s 10th Congressional District still need to be introduced to me, and folks who do know who I am ultimately do support me to represent them and be a progressive champion,” Jones said.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio finished second-to-last in the poll featuring the nine Democrats running. He was dismissive of polling in general on the campaign trail today.
“We all know it is an August election,” de Blasio said on the campaign trail after proposing a more urgent approach to the current COVID surge. “We are not sure, any of us, who is going to show up and vote. So I don’t think this poll tells us a whole lot honestly.
The New York Primary for Congressional and State Senate races is Aug. 23. All winners will be part of the general election in November. NY-10 leans overwhelming Democratic and the winner of the Democratic primary is extremely likely to prevail in November.
