New York Gov. Kathy Hochul endorsed Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race, aligning herself with the party’s progressive nominee even as other prominent Democrats distanced themselves.
“Tonight I am endorsing Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani,” she wrote in the New York Times op-ed.
Hochul said she and Mamdani do not agree on every issue but share core priorities, including affordability, combating anti-Semitism, and confronting President Donald Trump.
“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,” Hochul wrote.
She added that she pressed Mamdani on policing and public safety, saying she “urged him to ensure that there is strong leadership at the helm of the N.Y.P.D.—and he agreed.”
“Zohran Mamdani and I will both be fearless in confronting the president’s extreme agenda—with urgency, conviction, and the defiance that defines New York.”
Although the endorsement of the state’s top Democrat gives Mamdani a boost, other party figures have taken the opposite approach.
He added that he had not spoken with Hochul about her decision.
“Socialist Zohran Mamdani is too extreme to lead New York City. His entire campaign has been built on unachievable promises and higher taxes, which is the last thing New York needs,” she wrote on X.
She accused him of seeking to defund the police and making “a deeply disturbing pattern of unacceptable antisemitic comments.”
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani, is running as an independent and said that if Mamdani wins, Democrats would be presented as dominated by the far left.
Mamdani called the alleged maneuvering “an affront to ... democracy,” saying New Yorkers should choose their leaders without interference.
The top two Democrats in Congress, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have both withheld endorsements for Mamdani to lead their state’s largest city. Both leaders have repeatedly declined to answer reporters’ questions about whether they will endorse Mamdani.
“Governor Kathy Hochul of New York has Endorsed the ‘Liddle’ Communist,’ Zohran Mamdani, running for Mayor of New York,“ he wrote. ”This is a rather shocking development, and a very bad one for New York City. How can such a thing happen? Washington will be watching this situation very closely. No reason to be sending good money after bad!”
The race remains competitive, with Cuomo, Mamdani, Adams, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa all on the ballot.
