NEW YORK — Congressional hopeful Dan Goldman revealed Friday that he voted for Eric Adams and Kathryn Garcia in last year’s ranked-choice Democratic mayoral primary — but claimed he could not recall which candidate he put at the top of his ballot.
Goldman, who’s a front-runner in the hotly-contested race for the 10th Congressional District, detailed his 2021 vote after being asked about it during an unrelated news conference in downtown Manhattan.
“I voted for Kathryn Garcia and Eric Adams. I’m trying to think of who my other ranked-choice votes were,” he told reporters.
Pressed on whether he ranked Adams or Garcia first, Goldman couldn’t recall. “Honestly, they were one, two. I don’t remember, ultimately,” he said.
A representative for Mayor Adams did not return a request for comment. Garcia, who’s currently serving as Gov. Kathy Hochul’s director of state operations, could not be reached for comment.
Although Goldman said he backed Adams and Garcia, the plot thickens when his donation records come into play.
According to city Campaign Finance Board filings, Goldman donated $2,000 to Adams and another $2,000 to failed mayoral candidate Andrew Yang. He did not contribute any cash to Garcia, the filings show.
A spokesman for Goldman did not return a request for comment on why he only gave money to Adams and Yang if Garcia was among his top two picks.
Garcia fared best out of all the 2021 mayoral candidates in the Tribeca election district where Goldman lives, raking in 37.3% of all first-choice votes, according to data compiled by City University of New York researcher Steven Romalewski.
Goldman’s revelation about his voting record comes as he’s gearing up for Tuesday’s primary election.
A one-time federal prosecutor who served as the lead Democratic counsel during former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, Goldman is a favorite in the 10th District’s jampacked field of candidates.
The campaign for one of Goldman’s opponents, City Councilmember Carlina Rivera, said his opaqueness on his 2021 voting record is problematic.
“When you can’t keep your facts straight on the small things, how can we trust you on the existential issues that are on the ballot on Tuesday: Abortion, housing and our crumbling infrastructure?” said Rivera campaign spokeswoman Alyssa Cass.
(Tim Balk contributed to this report)
