Only 41% of voters plan to vote for Goldman against a generic opponent — and his positions on the Middle East and Zohran Mamdani make him even more unpopular
Washington, D.C. — Demand Progress Action today released results from a poll, conducted by Data for Progress, showing that Rep. Dan Goldman (Democrat, NY-10) is vulnerable to a primary challenge — and this vulnerability grows as voters learn more about his record on the Gaza war, his support from AIPAC, his support for Benjamin Netanyahu, and his refusal to back Zohran Mamdani for Mayor.
The poll was conducted from Sept 2-8, 2025. It surveyed 553 likely Democratic primary voters in NY-10 and has a margin of error of four points.
Voters were first asked if they would support Goldman or “another Democratic candidate” if the primary were held tomorrow, with only 41 percent of respondents said they would back Goldman. The poll went on to ask about a potential matchup with New York City Comptroller Brad Lander in particular, and 52 percent of voters selected Lander while only 33 percent selected Goldman.
When voters were informed that Goldman had refused to endorse Zohran Mamdani and was a top recipient of AIPAC support, his standing against “another Democratic candidate” worsened relative to the initial such test — with Goldman now losing 50-36. And when voters heard that Goldman had taken specific positions to protect Benjamin Netanyahu from prosecution and about his support of providing weapons for Israel, his standing fell even further — with the incumbent now losing 58-26.
The poll went on to test how the endorsement by any of a number of political figures would impact the vote of voters in NY-10. Voters were overwhelmingly “more” or “much more” likely to support a candidate who was endorsed by Elizabeth Warren (+57), Bernie Sanders (+54), Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (+54), and Zohran Mamdani (+37). Voters were, at best, only marginally more likely to support a candidate who was endorsed by Hakeem Jeffries (+10), Kirsten Gillibrand (+7), or Chuck Schumer (+4).
Dan Cohen, a pollster who advised Demand Progress Action on this poll said:
“What is particularly striking is that in a head to head between Goldman and an unnamed generic Democrat, Goldman goes from having a lead of just nine percent to a deficit of 14 percent with only three new points of information: his refusal to endorse Zohran Mamdani for Mayor, his support for Israel’s war in Gaza, and him being a top recipient of AIPAC money.
The fact that the loss of support comes from ‘very liberal,’ ‘somewhat liberal,’ and ‘moderate’ voters shows that this is far beyond a niche progressive issue. The Democratic voters in that district, in the same trend we’ve been seeing nationally, demonstrates quite clearly that Democratic voters do not want to accept these actions from their elected leaders.
When the respondents were given more information, for example his vote to protect Benjamin Netanyahu from arrest charges and voting to provide Israel with over 18 billion dollars in weapons, Goldman’s support went down even more — to 26 percent vs 58 percent for a generic Democrat.
This is a profoundly important point for anyone facing a Democratic primary challenge who has a similar position on the war, or funding from AIPAC. The Democratic primary voters, and not only the progressive ones, are clearly saying they want their elected leaders to stop their unequivocal support for this war. Democrats who hope to be successful in primaries need to understand that.”
Key results from the poll:
If the June 2026 Democratic primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives was held tomorrow, would you be more likely to vote for Dan Goldman or another Democratic candidate?
Dan Goldman 41%
Another Democratic candidate 32
Don’t know 28
If the June 2026 Democratic primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives was held tomorrow, and these were the candidates, who would you vote for?
Dan Goldman 33%
Brad Lander 52
Don’t know 15
Below is a brief statement that opponents of U.S. Representative Dan Goldman have given as a reason that they would vote against him in the 2026 Democratic primary. “Democrat Dan Goldman has refused to endorse Zohran Mamdani for Mayor, is a leading supporter of Israel’s war in Gaza, and is a top recipient of money from AIPAC.”
Knowing what you know now, if the June 2026 Democratic primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives was held tomorrow, would you be more likely to vote for Dan Goldman or another Democratic candidate?
Dan Goldman 36%
Another Democratic candidate 50
Don’t know 13
Below is another statement that opponents of U.S. Representative Dan Goldman have given as a reason that they would vote against him in the 2026 Democratic primary.
“In addition to being a top recipient of money from AIPAC, a pro-Netanyahu lobbying group that is heavily funded by billionaire Trump donors, Democrat Dan Goldman was one of a handful of Democrats in Congress to vote for Republican-led legislation to protect Benjamin Netanyahu from arrest charges issued by the International Criminal Court, and has voted to provide Israel with over $18 billion in weapons paid for by US taxpayer dollars.”
Finally, knowing what you know now, if the June 2026 Democratic primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives was held tomorrow, would you be more likely to vote for Dan Goldman or another Democratic candidate?
Dan Goldman 26%
Another Democratic candidate 58
Don’t know 16
When thinking about voting in a Democratic primary election would you be more or less likely to support a candidate if they were endorsed by each of the following public figures?
Elizabeth Warren
Much more likely 43%
Somewhat more likely 26
Somewhat less likely 5
Much less likely 7
Wouldn’t affect my decision 19
MORE LIKELY (TOTAL) 69%
LESS LIKELY (TOTAL) 12
MORE LIKELY (NET) +57
Bernie Sanders
Much more likely 45%
Somewhat more likely 24
Somewhat less likely 6
Much less likely 9
Wouldn’t affect my decision 16
MORE LIKELY (TOTAL) 69%
LESS LIKELY (TOTAL) 15
MORE LIKELY (NET) +54
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Much more likely 41%
Somewhat more likely 28
Somewhat less likely 4
Much less likely 11
Wouldn’t affect my decision 17
MORE LIKELY (TOTAL) 69%
LESS LIKELY (TOTAL) 15
MORE LIKELY (NET) +54
Zohran Mamdani
Much more likely 37%
Somewhat more likely 21
Somewhat less likely 7
Much less likely 14
Wouldn’t affect my decision 20
MORE LIKELY (TOTAL) 58%
LESS LIKELY (TOTAL) 21
MORE LIKELY (NET) +37
Hakeem Jeffries
Much more likely 18%
Somewhat more likely 20
Somewhat less likely 12
Much less likely 16
Wouldn’t affect my decision 34
MORE LIKELY (TOTAL) 38%
LESS LIKELY (TOTAL) 28
MORE LIKELY (NET) +10
Kirsten Gillibrand
Much more likely 13%
Somewhat more likely 23
Somewhat less likely 15
Much less likely 14
Wouldn’t affect my decision 35
MORE LIKELY (TOTAL) 36%
LESS LIKELY (TOTAL) 29
MORE LIKELY (NET) +7
Chuck Schumer
Much more likely 15%
Somewhat more likely 22
Somewhat less likely 19
Much less likely 14
Wouldn’t affect my decision 30
MORE LIKELY (TOTAL) 37%
LESS LIKELY (TOTAL) 33
MORE LIKELY (NET) +4
From September 2 to 8, 2025, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 553 likely Democratic primary voters in New York’s 10th congressional district using SMS and web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, and geography. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error associated with the sample size is ±4 percentage points.