Wait a Mam-oment.<\/p>\n
Gov. Kathy Hochul <\/a>isn\u2019t ready to endorse socialist Zohran Mamdani\u2019s mayoral run yet, she said Thursday \u2013 as she slammed his plans to\u00a0raise taxes on the rich<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m focused on affordability and raising taxes on anyone does not accomplish that,\u201d she told reporters during an event at LaGuardia Airport.<\/p>\n Kathy Hochul said she isn\u2019t backing Mamdami yet. Gabriella Bass<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m making sure that people who create jobs will stay here so that we can have good paying jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n Hochul\u2019s wait-and-see approach on Mamdani came after the Queens assemblyman bested former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in Tuesday\u2019s Democratic mayoral primary \u2013\u00a0sending shockwaves across the nation<\/a>\u00a0and prompting soul-searching among moderate members of the party over its leftward drift.<\/p>\n The Democratic governor had congratulated Mamdani<\/a> after his apparent win, but notably didn\u2019t endorse him in November\u2019s general election.<\/p>\n New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani seen during his campaign party in Long Island City, Queens. Stephen Yang<\/p>\n Mamdani\u2019s campaign made waves with his people-pleasing proposals, such as free buses, city-run grocery stores, a rent freeze and raising the minimum wage to $30 an hour by 2030.<\/p>\n But the Democratic mayoral nominee\u2019s many detractors have cast his promises \u2013 which carry a $10 billion a year price tag \u2013 as unrealistic and unaffordable.<\/p>\n Follow The Post\u2019s coverage of the NYC mayoral race<\/p>\n Mamdani has proposed a 2% tax hike on New York City\u2019s millionaires and another increase targeting big corporations to pay for his platforms.<\/p>\n But he\u2019d need approval from Albany lawmakers and Hochul to raise taxes \u2014 and neither the state legislature nor the governor has an appetite for his proposal.<\/p>\n \u201cAs an assembly member, Mr. Mamdani knows that the state legislature and the governor has enormous say over decisions like those,\u201d Hochul said. \u201cSo, we have a new session coming up, I\u2019m always open to have conversations, whatever capacity he\u2019s in.<\/p>\n Eric Adams announces his reelection campaign. Stephen Yang<\/p>\n \u201cObviously there\u2019s areas of difference in our positions, but I also think that we need to have those conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n As Hochul \u2014 who is up for re-election in 2026 \u2014 distanced herself from Mamdani\u2019s socialist proposals, she also tried to claim he won on an affordability platform similar to her own.<\/p>\n The governor signed off on a massive $254 billion budget for next year that includes free school lunches, a middle class tax cut and \u201cinflation refund\u201d checks up to $400.<\/p>\n Mayor Eric Adams<\/a>, a centrist Democrat, is running for re-election as an independent in the general \u2013 and Hochul said for now she\u2019s going to keep \u201cworking close\u201d <\/a>with him.<\/p>\n