Brad Lander, a former New York City Mayor, has rebranded himself in the race against Congressman Dan Goldman for the NY-10 seat.
In previous campaigns – including most recently in a mayoral run for NYC last summer – Lander spoke openly and proudly about his “progressive Zionism” and the importance of a strong US-Israel alliance. But after he presented his congressional bid, those references quietly disappeared.
Now, he talks about “genocide” in Gaza and calls for conditional military aid to Israel.
Why the sudden change?
Lander and Goldman are almost indistinguishable: middle-aged, Jewish, highly educated, and with a history of public service. They support the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, a tax on the rich and strongly oppose President Trump’s deportation agenda.
So, the race has come down to a narcissism of little difference. Lander has chosen to distinguish himself by following a true “progressive Zionist” – a label that he himself seems to have fallen out of fashion with.
A spokesperson for Lander’s campaign disputes this characterization, saying, “Brad hasn’t changed his stance on Israel, it hasn’t changed for decades.”
While Lander’s critical position on Israel has generally not changed, his political views have. He has been demonstrating his continued innocence by violently opposing Israel as he gains political advantage.
And he’s not the only one doing it. Left activists across the country are mounting primary challenges against Democrats who are running on the same playbook and calling it an ongoing rebellion.
In a race over race, progressive hopefuls are trying to turn the Democratic primaries into contests about who can condemn Israel the most. Incumbents are painted as vulnerable or corrupt, while challengers present themselves as the vanguard of a newly purged left.
Other examples include former New York Congressman Michael Blake, who is now challenging Congressman Ritchie Torres and who has aligned Torres with a strong group of US-Israel lobbyists, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a central line of attack. But Blake himself was once a featured AIPAC speaker. He even wrote a position paper affirming his support for Israel and black Jewish unity.
Over in the Midwest, Daniel Biss, the Democratic mayor of Evanston, Illinois, reportedly met with AIPAC last year to seek support. But once he officially entered the race for Congress, he publicly criticized AIPAC and pledged to withdraw its support.
Neither Blake nor Biss responded to requests for comment.
And in Massachusetts, Rep. Seth Moulton also sought AIPAC’s endorsement before entering the primary race against Senator Ed Markey – he re-entered the race once and put AIPAC in his political crosshairs by criticizing the organization and promising to return any donations from its members.
In a statement to me, Moulton’s communications director said in part, “Representative Moulton returned AIPAC donations because there is a difference between supporting Israel and supporting the party’s Netanyahu agenda … When it became clear that AIPAC’s direction and mission would not change – especially its continued alignment with the Netanyahu government – Seth made the decision to return previous donations.”
AIPAC has become a hotbed for some of these races. Some Democratic Alliance candidates who previously supported the organization are turning away as the Democratic Alliance base has become more hostile to groups that support Israel. These candidates use AIPAC to demonstrate their opposition to Israel, although they often deny it outright.
None of this suggests that the party is honestly struggling with the complex question of foreign policy. It seems like a scramble to satisfy the vocal activist purity test.
With Democrats in the minority in both chambers of Congress and Donald Trump back in the White House, the far left has channeled its frustration and energy into forcing views against Israel.
This strategy recently worked in New York City. Despite his tough stance against Israel in the country’s most Jewish city, Zohran Mamdani defeated the mayoral candidates.
His success in last year’s election will strengthen the courage of these forces.
Those hoping for a return to the pro-Israel consensus will be disappointed. According to an Ipsos poll in September 2025, 70% of Democrats disapprove of Israel’s operation in Gaza.
This revolutionary strategy may work to get them elected, but it will replace pragmatic Democrats and radicals and ideologues willing to abandon their beliefs for political gain. Over time, this will change the nature of the Democratic Alliance party in Israel, and its broader commitment to principled leadership.
Sam Kay is the Director of External Affairs at the Manhattan Institute. His views are his own and do not represent those of his employer.
