Kathy Hochul: Why I Am Endorsing Zohran Mamdani

Opinion|Kathy Hochul: Why I Am Endorsing Zohran Mamdani

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.

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.

In the past few months, I’ve had frank conversations with him. We’ve had our 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.

I also shared with him my priorities, making it very clear that our police officers should have every resource to keep our streets and subways safe. I urged him to ensure that there is strong leadership at the helm of the N.Y.P.D. — and he agreed.

We discussed the need to combat the rise of antisemitism urgently and unequivocally. I’ve been glad to see him meet with Jewish leaders across the city, listening and addressing their concerns directly. I look forward to working together to make sure New Yorkers of all faiths feel safe and welcome in New York City.

I emphasized to him my belief in keeping and attracting businesses so that New York remains the center of the global economy and we create even more good-paying jobs for our residents.

Affordability has long been my top priority as governor, and it is the No. 1 concern I share with Mr. Mamdani. As governor, I’ve taken actions to realize this goal, including lowering middle-class income taxes and making school meals free for all students. But there is more work ahead of us.

And in light of the abhorrent and destructive policies coming out of Washington every day, I needed to know the next mayor would not be someone who would surrender one inch to Donald Trump.

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.

I draw upon my personal experiences while considering a possible endorsement. When I walk the streets, attend religious services or ride the subway, I meet New Yorkers who love their city but, despite hard work, feel they can’t afford to live and thrive here.

I know what that struggle feels like. My parents started married life in a trailer park outside Buffalo. In the early years, they raised six children on a tight budget. My mom bought our clothes on layaway or at secondhand stores, and she stretched dinners with Spam sandwiches on day-old bread pulled from the freezer. Those experiences will never leave me.

Families cannot wait another year, another month, another election cycle. They need urgent action now. Since taking office in January, President Trump has killed jobs and dragged down our economy with tariff tax hikes that make life more expensive for working families. He’s gutted Medicaid and food assistance, slashed federal funding New York City relies on, and threatened a federal takeover of New York — all while trying to put his thumb on the scale of our local elections.

New York needs leaders who will put aside differences, stand up and fight back against Mr. Trump.

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. And 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.

My entire career, I have embraced the Happy Warrior, can-do spirit that meets any challenge undaunted. I and other New Yorkers have seen that in Zohran Mamdani.

Public life is an extraordinary privilege. It should never be about power for its own sake, but rather always about making the lives of others better.

Some will say Zohran Mamdani and I are unlikely allies: a mom governor from Buffalo and a 33-year-old assemblyman from Queens. To me, that’s the beauty of this moment. What New Yorkers deserve right now is not grievances or grudges, but steely resolve to fight like hell.

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. 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.

For all these reasons, I am endorsing Zohran Mamdani in the upcoming election for mayor. And I look forward to working with him to ensure that New York City’s best days lie ahead.