NEW YORK CITY – New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani defended Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., on Monday after his supporters drowned her out at the podium with chants of “Tax the rich!” at her during Sunday night’s high-profile rally in Forest Hills, Queens.
Mamdani’s plan to raise taxes on corporations and the top 1% of New Yorkers to pay for his ambitious campaign promises, like free childcare, fast and free buses and city-run grocery stores, would require state approval, but the governor has ruled out raising taxes on New Yorkers.
“Whenever I speak with the governor, it always comes back to affordability, and we have both made clear that that is the defining purpose of our politics, and that’s what we’re going to deliver,” Mamdani told reporters in Manhattan on Monday.
But Mamdani’s supporters, knowing Hochul has been unwilling to budge on raising taxes, disrupted her remarks on Sunday, shouting, “Tax the rich!” The chants forced Mamdani to walk out on stage early and taking her hand in his to affirm his support for the governor.
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“I can hear you,” Hochul responded as the stadium erupted with the chant.
Yet Hochul told reporters on Monday that she knows there is “passion” to raise taxes on corporations and the top 1% of New Yorkers, but the governor said she attended Mamdani’s rally, as leader of New York’s Democratic Party, to reaffirm her support for the Democratic mayoral nominee.
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“What I saw in that stadium was refreshing and energizing to know we can harness all that, to be on the same team and to make sure we can do a lot of great things for the people of this state and indeed the country,” Hochul said.
Mamdani was joined by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Sunday for the “New York is Not for Sale Rally,” with more than 10,000 people packed into Forest Hills Stadium, according to the campaign.
When pressed by a reporter if she would be willing to change her mind about raising taxes, Hochul said, “I’m having a lot of conversations about everything.”
“They want to know my timeline. I said let’s get through this election. Let’s let the focus be on your race,” Hochul added, explaining that she wanted to attend Sunday’s rally as the leader of a diverse Democratic Party.
She also said she wasn’t sure what the hecklers were saying. “I couldn’t hear what they were chanting. I thought they were saying, ‘Let’s go, Bills.’ I wasn’t sure,” Hochul said.
“I appreciated the governor speaking at yesterday’s rally,” Mamdani said when asked about the hecklers. “I appreciated her remarks. I appreciate her support for universal childcare, which is something that’s been a longstanding priority for her.”
“I went out to hold her hand and hold our hands together to show New York City that the relationship between a mayor and a governor need not always be what it was with Andrew Cuomo. It could, in fact, be one that’s committed to the same set of constituents,” Mamdani added.
With nearly one week until Election Day, Mamdani maintains a double-digit lead over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, with 44% of support among likely voters in the most recent survey in the race, from Suffolk University.
Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid multiple scandals and who is running as an independent candidate in the general election after losing the primary to Mamdani, has 34% support in the latest survey.
Hochul endorsed Mamdani last month after previously withholding for months after Mamdani secured the Democratic nomination.
While Hochul has now thrown her political weight behind Mamdani as he campaigns to become the next mayor of the nation’s most populous city, Mamdani has refused to endorse her own re-election campaign.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who is considering a gubernatorial challenge against Hochul next year, said in a statement that Sunday’s rally “could not have been more of a disaster” for Hochul.
“Hochul truly is the Worst Governor in America and voters across the political spectrum, including even the Socialists she bent the knee to, all know that she is truly the Worst Governor in America. New Yorkers will fire Kathy Hochul next year,” Stefanik said.
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.