NEW YORK (AP) — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Sunday urged New Yorkers to vote Zohran Mamdani for mayor of New York City, giving the Democratic nominee one of his most significant endorsements to date in the contest to lead the nation’s biggest city.
Writing in the New York Times’ opinion section, Hochul said that while she and Mamdani diverged on some issues, they came together on the importance of addressing the affordability crisis in the city and across the state.
“But in our conversations, I heard a leader who shares my commitment to a New York where children can grow up safe in their neighborhoods and where opportunity is within reach for every family,” wrote Hochul, a Democrat. “I heard a leader who is focused on making New York City affordable — a goal I enthusiastically support.”
The stunning success of Mamdani, a 33-year-old self-described democratic socialist, in the race for New York City mayor has exposed divisions within the Democratic Party as it struggles to repair its brand more than half a year into Donald Trump’s presidency. Hochul’s endorsement is the latest sign that Democratic leaders who had been skeptical of Mamdani’s liberal views are beginning to consolidate around him.
Mamdani thanked Hochul for the boost, saying it’s a sign “our movement is growing stronger.”
She also desperately wants Mandami to win the Mayoral election because if he is unemployed in 2026 he might go after her job
If a no-name State Senator from Astoria loses a mayoral race to Cuomo, he’s not going to turn around and ride a wave to the governor’s mansion. But if this rising star lands in Gracie Mansion and has to go around cleaning up all Eric Adams’s shit, there’s a good chance he gets some of it on him and Hochul can use that to occupy his time for the next four years.
I’m thrilled to see a real progressive headed for the biggest mayorship in the country. But I don’t see it as anything less than a poisoned chalice. The NYPD are not going to be kind to Zohran. The business wing of the party is going to put the screws to him every chance they get. The city bureaucracy will be a minefield. The press will be at this throat on day one.
And that’s before Trump announced he wants to carpet bomb Hell’s Kitchen just to prove a mayor can’t fight back.