Updated Dec. 10, 2025 — New York City Comptroller Brad Lander announced Wednesday he is running for Congress in New York’s 10th District, releasing a campaign video and speaking to a packed crowd in Park Slope as he framed his bid as a fight against what he called “a moment of dark oppression.”
Lander, who was elected comptroller in 2021 after 12 years on the City Council where he co-founded the Progressive Caucus, said he is ready to take on the Trump administration and other powerful interests. He lives with his family in Brooklyn.
At the Nitehawk Cinema Theater, Lander told supporters he “will fight not fold” and invoked what he called “Mr. Rogers’ energy”: “Yeah, it’s a Mr. Rogers that stands up, fights ICE and fights Trump and fights Musk and kleptocrats, and fights AIPAC and says this is our neighborhood,” he said.
The seat is currently held by Rep. Dan Goldman, whose district covers parts of Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. Lander highlighted a prominent policy difference with Goldman over the Israel-Hamas war, saying, “Only I, of the two of us, recognize that Netanyahu’s leveling of schools and hospitals and the destruction of Gaza was a war crime. It’s an ongoing war crime.”
Lander’s entry is part of a wider progressive push in New York, where multiple incumbents face primary challenges or open seats. Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres is being challenged by former Assemblyman Michael Blake, who has criticized Torres’ support for Israel. Progressives are also running for the open seats of retiring Reps. Jerry Nadler and Nydia Velázquez. J.C. Polanco, a law professor at the University of Mount Saint Vincent, said progressives see an opening to expand their influence in Congress and warned that a larger progressive bloc could reshape the party nationally.
Lander drew national attention earlier this year when he was arrested while observing immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza; he was released hours later and charges were dropped. He has since returned to observe court proceedings. In his announcement video he argued that while the wealthy and powerful drive an affordability crisis, “they shouldn’t be able to buy a seat in Congress,” and added that New Yorkers must protect their neighbors: “While our neighbors are being demonized and attacked, we can put our bodies on the line to protect them. New York is for everyone.”
After Lander’s arrest, Goldman and Rep. Jerry Nadler visited 26 Federal Plaza to observe immigration proceedings and said they were denied access to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in the building. Goldman later joined Reps. Adriano Espaillat and Nydia Velázquez in proposing legislation to bar federal agents from arresting immigrants as they appear for court-ordered hearings. A spokesperson for Goldman’s campaign said the congressman remains focused on protecting immigrant families in the district, is proud of his progressive record, and will address challengers next year.
Lander announced a slate of endorsements with his campaign launch, including Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who cross-endorsed him during the mayoral primary; U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren; State Sen. Andrew Gounardes; Assemblymember Robert Carroll; New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; and the Working Families Party. Sanders issued a statement calling Lander a “relentless fighter for working people” and said he was “proud to endorse him.”