Outgoing New York City comptroller Brad Lander, in an interview with The Nation, reflects on his career achievements and launches his campaign for Congress in New York's 10th District. He emphasizes housing affordability and coalition-building as key to progressive wins. Lander critiques current representation and calls for bolder Democratic action on economic justice and foreign policy.
Brad Lander, who has served over a decade on the New York City Council and four years as comptroller, is now running for Congress in New York's 10th District, covering parts of Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. In a conversation with Nation president Bhaskar Sunkara, published on December 19, 2025, Lander highlighted his progressive track record, starting with the creation of the Progressive Caucus alongside the Working Families Party. This coalition drove victories like banning stop-and-frisk policing, strengthening tenant eviction protections, and pioneering living wages for Uber drivers and delivery workers—the first city in the U.S. to do so. They also secured stable schedules for fast-food and retail employees, protections against wage theft for freelancers, desegregated middle schools in Brooklyn's District 15, and introduced participatory budgeting.
As comptroller, Lander grew the city's pension funds to over $300 billion while divesting from fossil fuels and advancing decarbonization efforts. A key achievement was an innovative investment that preserved 35,000 rent-stabilized apartments by acquiring their mortgages after Signature Bank's collapse in 2023, preventing speculation. He also facilitated union contracts for tens of thousands of workers through investor-mandated neutrality agreements.
Reflecting on his recent mayoral campaign, which placed third but bolstered Zohran Mamdani's win via ranked-choice voting and cross-endorsement, Lander stressed solidarity across communities, including Muslim and Jewish New Yorkers. He described politics as a "team sport" that builds trust through material gains. For his congressional run, Lander prioritizes affordability and housing, drawing from decades of work fighting evictions and building over 50,000 affordable units. He advocates federal measures like repealing the Faircloth Amendment to enable public developers, eliminating exclusionary zoning, and enhancing tenant protections.
Lander contrasts himself with incumbent Dan Goldman, criticizing Goldman's vacation with Donald Trump Jr. during a shutdown, stock trading in regulated industries, and support for controversial votes like censuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib and arming Israel amid the Gaza conflict, which Lander calls a genocide. On foreign policy, he urges halting offensive weapons to Israel, recognizing a Palestinian state, and curbing AIPAC's influence, while pushing for a Democratic vision centered on peacemaking and human rights.
Lander regrets failing to ban co-op discrimination or enact broader fair housing planning in the Council, and as comptroller, not divesting from BlackRock due to its climate stance. He envisions "Landerism" as neighbors collaborating against inequality, ICE, and corporate power to foster inclusive, affordable communities. Amid Trump-era challenges, he calls for Democrats to deliver on bread-and-butter issues like childcare and housing to regain working-class trust.
