Representative Daniel Goldman, a New York City Democrat fighting to fend off a primary challenge, said on Thursday that he would begin to use his vast personal fortune in an effort to save his House seat.
Mr. Goldman, a Levi Strauss heir and one of the richest members of Congress, put $1 million into his campaign immediately and pledged to begin matching every donation he receives in the run-up to the June primary — a dollar-for-dollar incentive that could cost him millions more.
The congressman framed the decision as a way to show that he was not beholden to special interests. But the cash infusion also underscored just how serious a challenge he faces from Brad Lander, a well-known former city comptroller and mayoral candidate.
There has been little public polling of the race in the 10th Congressional District, which includes Lower Manhattan and a liberal swath of brownstone Brooklyn. Private polling conducted for both campaigns, though, has shown Mr. Lander with a sizable lead in recent weeks, according to three people briefed on it.
Mr. Goldman, whose fortune is valued at as much as $250 million, put almost $5 million into his first race in 2022. But as he seeks his third term, he had hoped to avoid the costs and negative publicity that come with self-funding.
Mr. Goldman said in an interview that his position had changed because of the tone of Mr. Lander’s attacks against him. The challenger’s allies have specifically accused Mr. Goldman of being influenced by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobby whose members and affiliated groups have supported his campaigns.
“I didn’t plan to do it,” Mr. Goldman said. “But I also didn’t expect that I would be facing an opponent who would run his campaign essentially on lies and misrepresentations about my record, and especially accusations of being beholden to special interests.”
“The only things that guide my decisions in this job are my voters and my principles,” he added.
Mr. Lander quickly fired back on social media — and asked his own donors to contribute more because he said he could not afford to personally fund his campaign.
“Let’s call this what it is,” Mr. Lander said in a video posted to X. “He’s trying to buy the election.”
Mr. Goldman is far from the first wealthy candidate to fund his own campaign, and he may not ultimately be the highest spender. But his matching scheme is relatively unusual.
It could also send a message to potential donors that he still believes he can win and they should invest.
Allies of Mr. Goldman have taken steps to try to capture support from the city’s wealthiest donors. In January, they set up a super PAC, New Yorkers Fighting Back, that has been soliciting larger contributions to his re-election effort. The group, whose existence has not previously been reported, has yet to publicly report any spending.
Mr. Goldman said on Thursday that he was unaware of the group, and said he had “no interest in soliciting or encouraging super PAC money.”
A former federal prosecutor and leading Trump antagonist, the congressman has racked up a liberal voting record in Washington. He supports raising taxes on wealthy Americans like him to fund a more expansive social safety net, and has endorsements from top party leaders.
That would normally be enough to sail to re-election in a safely Democratic district. But as his party shifts leftward on key issues, Mr. Goldman has instead faced accusations that his support for Israel’s war in Gaza, and his lack of enthusiasm for Zohran Mamdani, the city’s leftist mayor, leave him out of step with parts of his district’s progressive base.
While Mr. Goldman has criticized Israel’s right-wing government, he has generally supported its war effort and repeatedly voted to send it American military aid. He also declined to endorse Mr. Mamdani.
Mr. Lander, who, like Mr. Goldman, is Jewish, has taken a harder stance against the war, calling Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide. He is a close ally of Mr. Mamdani, who has endorsed Mr. Lander, and has his own deep roots in the district from years in elected city offices.
Mr. Goldman has campaigned aggressively to portray Mr. Lander as an opportunist who would be a less effective version of him.
On Thursday, at the same time he announced his own spending plans, Mr. Goldman said he would spend some of the money to air a new ad denouncing American and Israeli war efforts in Iran. It appeared designed to distance him from the conflicts in the Middle East.
“No more wars. Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu should have never started this war in Iran and they must end it now,” he says in the ad. “In Congress, I won’t vote for one more cent of this illegal and immoral war.”
Nicholas Fandos is a Times reporter covering New York politics and government.
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