New York Governor Kathy Hochul faced a vocal opposition during a rally supporting socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, an event that featured prominent figures Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
An estimated 13,000 attendees gathered at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, eager to see some of the country’s most prominent progressive voices.
Hochul, who is often seen as a more centrist Democrat, was a last-minute addition to the lineup as Mamdani prepares to face off against Hochul’s former superior, Andrew Cuomo, and Republican contender Curtis Sliwa on Election Day.
As Governor Hochul attempted to rally the crowd against Donald Trump, she was met with chants of “tax the rich!” and shouts urging her to take action, with cries of “do something, you’re the governor!” echoing in the stadium.
Trying to keep the energy positive, Hochul acknowledged the crowd’s enthusiasm by commenting on how “fired up” they were and saying, “I can hear you.”
In a bid to refocus the crowd’s attention, she asked, “You want to see Zohran or not?”
Mamdani eventually appeared as Hochul’s speech closed out, with The New York Post nothing that it was long before he was scheduled to speak.
The crowd was enraptured as Mamdani awkwardly hugged Hochul – who served as lieutenant governor under Cuomo – and raised her hand in the air.
Bernie Sanders (pictured left) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (pictured right) celebrated Zohran Mamdani at a New York City rally Sunday night
Over 13,000 people reportedly showed up to celebrate the most well known leftists in the country
Mamdani rallied supporters as the race enters its final stretch, telling a raucous crowd that his campaign is a ‘movement of the masses.’
‘When you insist on building a coalition with room for every New Yorker, that is exactly what you create: a tremendous force,’ Mamdani said.
‘This, my friends, was your movement, and it always will be.’
As the crowd chanted his name, Mamdani reiterated plans to hire thousands of new teachers, renegotiate city contracts, freeze rent increases for the city’s 1 million rent-regulated apartments, build more affordable housing and provide universal child care.
He even had some celebrity support, as Saturday Night Live cast member Sarah Sherman emceed the event.
With early voting underway ahead of Election Day on November 4, Mamdani, a democratic socialist, is in an increasingly caustic race with Cuomo, who is running as an independent candidate after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani, and Republican Curtis Sliwa, who campaigned Sunday in Queens.
Cuomo has sought to cast Mamdani, a 34-year-old state assemblymember, as a naive candidate whose agenda would damage the city.
In a radio interview Sunday morning, Cuomo argued that he is the real Democrat in the race while saying Mamdani’s democratic socialism would result in an exodus of residents and businesses.
At one point, the socialist mayoral favorite had to come out and save Governor Kathy Hochul at the end of her speech, awkwardly hugging her before raising their hands to the crowd after being heckled
Ocasio-Cortez latched onto Mamdani’s campaign in the last weeks before his primary victory over Andrew Cuomo
‘The socialists want to take over the Democratic Party. That´s what Bernie Sanders is all about. That´s what AOC is all about,’ Cuomo said, adding, ‘He wins, book airline tickets for Florida now.’
Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021 following a barrage of sexual harassment allegations that he denies.
Mamdani has often pressed Cuomo over the allegations, and on Sunday he told the crowd that it is time to leave behind the former governor’s ‘playbook of the past.’
But he urged supporters not to take his lead in the polls for granted and to turn out to vote.
‘We cannot allow complacency to infiltrate this movement,’ Mamdani said.
Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez have supported his campaign for months including before the Democratic primary in June.
On Sunday, they cast Mamdani as an antidote to what they called the creeping authoritarianism of President Donald Trump’s administration.
Ocasio-Cortez, whose district includes Queens, said a victory for Mamdani will send a message nationally that a progressive message can prevail.
Mamdani’s primary win saw a surge among young voters over Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa
A fan holds up a sign of Mamdani as the politician speaks on stage
‘It is not a coincidence that the very forces that Zohran is up against in this race mirrors what we are up against nationally, an authoritarian, criminal presidency fueled by corruption and bigotry, and an ascendant right-wing extremist movement,’ she said.
She referred to the coalition Mamdani had built as ‘a fascist’s worst nightmare,’ directly addressing Trump.
Sanders said a Mayor Mamdani would represent ‘not the billionaire class’ but working families.
‘In the year 2025, when the people on top have never, ever had so much economic and political power, is it possible for ordinary people, for working class people, to come together and defeat those oligarchs?’ Sanders said.
‘You’re damn right we can.’
Under the slogan ‘New York Is Not For Sale,’ the rally featured rousing speeches from religious and labor leaders along with state elected officials including Hochul.
Mamdani recently received an endorsement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a moderate New York Democrat.
Jeffries, in a statement, said he has disagreements with Mamdani but supports him as the nominee, adding that the party should unify against Republicans and Trump.
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams abandoned his reelection campaign and endorsed Cuomo.
