article

Governor Kathy Hochul speaks during a press announcement to unveil the path to unpausing congestion pricing. The plan will launch with a reduced base fare of $9, down from the original plan of $15, and the start date is set for January 5, 2025. Conge

NEW YORK – In a guest essay published Sunday night in The New York Times, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul formally endorsed Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani in NYC’s mayor’s race. 

“New York City deserves a mayor who will stand up to Donald Trump and make life more affordable for New Yorkers,” Hochul wrote on X, linking to the essay. “That’s @ZohranKMamdani.” 

“In the four years since I took office, one of my foundational beliefs has been the importance of the office of New York governor working hand in hand with the mayor of New York City for the betterment of the 8.3 million residents we both represent,” Hochul’s essay reads. “The question of who will be the next mayor is one I take extremely seriously and to which I have devoted a great deal of thought. Tonight I am endorsing Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.” 

Fighting Trump’s ‘extreme agenda’ 

Dig deeper:

Hochul’s endorsement comes just one day after Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) endorsed Mamdani at a Democratic fundraiser in Iowa and criticized other Democratic leaders for not doing the same. 

Hochul goes on in her essay to say that over the past few months, she’s had frank conversations with Mamdani, which have included disagreements. 

“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. I heard a leader who is focused on making New York City affordable — a goal I enthusiastically support,” she writes. 

“I didn’t leave my conversations with him aligned on every issue. But I am confident that he has the courage, urgency and optimism New York City needs to lead it through the challenges of this moment,” she goes on. 

Gov. Hochul concluded her essay by stating that both she and Mamdani, if he is elected, will work to confront President Donald Trump’s “extreme agenda” with “urgency, conviction and the defiance that defines New York.” 

“We must never allow Mr. Trump to control our city like the king he wants to be. Anyone who accepts his tainted influence, or benefits from it, is compromised from the start,” she writes. 

“Zohran and I don’t see eye to eye on everything, and I don’t expect us to. I will always reserve the right to disagree honestly and to argue passionately,” she added. “But I also believe that New York State and New York City are at their best when we stand together against those who attempt to tear us apart.”

Mamdani responded to Hochul’s endorsement in a statement issued Sunday night. 

“Governor Hochul has made affordability the centerpiece of her work,” he said. “I look forward to fighting alongside her to continue her track record of putting money back in New Yorkers’ pockets and building a safer and stronger New York City where no one is forced to leave just so they can afford to raise a family.” 

“I’m grateful to the Governor for her support in unifying our party — as well as the work she’s done standing up to President Trump, securing free lunch meals for our kids and expanding access to childcare,” he added. “There’s so much work left to do, and our movement is only growing stronger.”

The Source: Information above was sourced from The New York Times, X, a statement from Mamdani and previous FOX 5 NY reporting. 

2025 election for NYC mayorPolitics