NY Times' Goldman Endorsement Baffles District 10 Voters

LOWER MANHATTAN, NY — The New York Times' spurred outrage and confusion among Lower Manhattan voters by endorsing for District 10 an attorney tied to the Trump impeachment who has never held political office.

The Times' editorial board Saturday threw support behind Dan Goldman over Rep. Mondaire Jones, Council Member Carlina Rivera, Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou, former U.S. House Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman, and Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon.

Locals, such as NYU Law Professor Chris Sprigman, scoffed at the Times choosing the heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. fortune who has reportedly contributed $2 million of his own cash to his campaign.

"Dear fellow residents of NY-10: Please ignore the NYT endorsement of Dan Goldman," Sprigman wrote on Twitter. "The Times represents wealthy NYC and Goldman is one of them, so they feel comfortable with him. But he's not by any means the best candidate for NY-10."

Goldman has raised $3.4 million in total, in stark comparison to Rivera and Niou — both leading in polls alongside Goldman — who have raised about $634,000 and $427,000 respectively, campaign finance data show.

Read Patch's District 10 Election Guide here.

Despite Rivera and Niou's success in the polls and years of experience representing New Yorkers in local government, the Times editorial board's endorsement did not make any reference to their campaigns, noted local Community Board 1 member Jess Coleman.

"This 'endorsement' doesn't even bother to mention Rivera or Niou, the choices of many progressives across this district," Jess Coleman, a Community Board 1 member, wrote on Twitter. "Just baffling."

The Times argued Goldman, the Democrats' lead counsel during the first Trump impeachment trial, had special knowledge of congressional oversight and the rule of law, which would make him "especially valuable in Congress in coming years."

“Those who have worked with Mr. Goldman behind the scenes describe him as diligent and prepared and a person of integrity,” the Times wrote.

A New York Magazine op-ed by NY1 journalist Errol Louis quipped this comment could be translated as, "Queries within the alumni networks of Sidwell Friends, Yale, and Stanford Law, from which Goldman graduated, turned up good reports and no scandals."

New Yorkers were quick to echo Louis' criticisms online, specifically that the Times had opted for a white male candidate with no local experience over women and people of color.

"The New York Times endorsement of Dan Goldman does not even mention Niou or Rivera as OPTIONS," Maya Handa, a progressive campaign manager, wrote on Twitter.

"There is no explanation of why either of these two accomplished, elected women of color fail to 'stand out' in comparison with Goldman."

The Times, in its endorsement also acknowledged Goldman had little local experience.

"Mr. Jones and Mr. Goldman do not have as much experience working in the communities they seek to represent as other candidates in the race," the Times' endorsement reads. "Elizabeth Holtzman represented a portion of the district in Congress in the 1970s and early 1980s, playing a key role during the investigation of Richard Nixon."

The choice to mention Holtzman's representation of the district in the 1970s, but then not acknowledge that Rivera and Niou both currently represent portions of Lower Manhattan that are in the newly formed congressional district, left people scratching their heads.

The New York Times also said it was "impressed" with Jones.

Rivera has stayed silent on the subject as of Monday afternoon but Niou issued a statement acknowledging the snub but without expressing concern.

"The New York Times has made its endorsement in this race," Niou said. "But I'm betting on the people of our district."

A spokesperson from Goldman's campaign pointed Patch to a statement the New York Times put out about its endorsement of its candidate.

"The New York Times editorial political endorsements are merit-based, independent decisions arising from extensive discussion among a board of experienced journalists," the statement reads. "This board reports to the opinion editor and publisher, without any involvement from members of the newsroom, business operations or shareholders."

Goldman's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Patch.

In the other two New York congressional primaries, the New York Times endorsed Rep. Jerry Nadler and Rep. Sean Maloney.

You can read the New York Times' full endorsement in the District 10 race — here.

Read More: Early Voting Begins In Lower Manhattan/BK Congressional District 10