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Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City returned to the State Capitol for the first time since taking office, underscoring the shifting political winds since his victory.
Jan. 13, 2026Updated 9:24 p.m. ET
As a backbench state assemblyman, Zohran Mamdani’s commutes to Albany, N.Y., often involved riding shotgun in a colleague’s car, listening to show tunes played loudly.
His drive Tuesday morning to the State Capitol to attend Gov. Kathy Hochul’s State of the State address was a bit different. Now he was in a police motorcade — toggling between briefing books and prep work with aides — to return to his former workplace for the first time since becoming mayor earlier this month.
He planned to take care of some procedural matters, like returning his state credential that had allowed him to enter the State Capitol complex. He greeted old colleagues and met with legislative leaders.
When he talked to reporters, he was sure to shout out the Herbie Burgers in the State Capitol complex and his favorite Middle Eastern restaurant in town. But he was careful not to upstage Ms. Hochul, as he sat in the third row to watch her speak.
The short visit on Tuesday underscored how much Mr. Mamdani’s mayoral victory has reshaped political power in New York and redirected it toward the left. Though Ms. Hochul had expanded access to child care in recent years, she was now talking about making the benefit universal — a proposal much closer to the central promise of Mr. Mamdani’s campaign.
Still, it was unclear how much the governor would align with Mr. Mamdani’s affordability proposals, which call for increasing taxes on the rich to help fund free buses and expanded child care.
