ALBANY – Raj Goyle, a Democrat running for state comptroller, is shifting significantly leftward to challenge longtime incumbent Tom DiNapoli. This dramatic change has been noted recently.
Goyle, who previously claimed to have voted Republican 80% of the time during his tenure as a state legislator, highlighted this in his campaign ads. Back in 2010, he was a U.S. House candidate from Kansas.
At that time, his campaign spokesperson described him as a “fiscal conservative and social moderate.”
However, Goyle is now branding himself as a “progressive,” advocating for divestment from Israel, opposing immigration enforcement, and calling for a move away from fossil fuels—views that sometimes clash with his past voting records and public statements from fifteen years ago.
“I believe my values are completely in line with my current stance,” Goyle said during a recent interview.
“I was a staunch progressive, and naturally, they criticized me for it,” he added.
Many of Goyle’s contradictory viewpoints today can be traced back to the 2010 campaign, during which he lost to Mike Pompeo, who later ascended to positions like CIA director and Secretary of State.
For instance, back in 2010, Goyle advocated for strict measures against companies hiring undocumented workers.
“Our immigration system is in crisis. We need to secure our borders and hold employers accountable for hiring illegal aliens,” he stated at the time.
Now, he reflects on those comments as stemming from a desire to protect workers from exploitation.
Interestingly, Goyle’s statements from 2010 also included advocating for making English the official language of Kansas, supporting restrictions on abortions after 22 weeks, endorsing concealed carry on government properties, and preventing undocumented immigrants from obtaining driver’s licenses.
He opposed a sales tax increase then, claiming it would disproportionately affect the poor, yet now argues that it was a regressive measure.
Goyle explained his earlier stances as efforts at compromise with Republicans pushing their conservative agendas.
He mentioned, “In a state like Kansas, progressives often find themselves on the defensive, battling harmful laws.” Goyle criticized DiNapoli for not evolving as much as he claims, suggesting that when DiNapoli was in Congress, he actively opposed driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants.
As Goyle navigates the primary against DiNapoli, he faces competition from other candidates, including Adem Bunkedeko from Brooklyn and Drew Warshaw, an executive in non-profit housing.
