Albany, New York– New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani He supported Governor Kathy Hochul She is up for re-election on Thursday, providing the moderate governor with some progressive heft as she faces a challenge from her political left in her campaign for a second full term in office.
In an op-ed in The Nation, Mamdani, a democratic socialist, noted his policy differences with the governor, but wrote that he had “come to trust Governor Hochul as someone willing to engage in honest dialogue that produces results.”
The endorsement cements an alliance between two leaders positioned on opposite ends of the Democratic political spectrum, with Mamdani, a young progressive who came to office promising transformational change, and Hochul, a centrist, who describes herself as the “Mother Governor” from Buffalo.
the Wallet supported Mamdani ran for mayor, giving him some institutional credibility during his campaign, and finding common ground with him on the shared priorities of affordability and saving money. Child care. But she has broken with the mayor over other elements of his agenda, including his calls to raise taxes on the wealthy, while presenting herself as a moderate check on his fledgling administration.
Hochul expressed his gratitude for Mamdani’s partnership. “I know he will stand strong by my side as we fight Donald Trump’s attacks on this state,” her statement read.
Mamdani’s endorsement could help Hochul bolster her left flank in the Democratic primary in June. Its lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, is challenging her with a Mamdani-style progressive campaign, seeking to harness the energy that propelled the mayor to office and national political stardom.
Delgado’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At the same time, Hochul’s critics on the right, including Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blackman, a county official on Long Island, seized on the endorsement as evidence that the Democratic Party has moved too far to the left.
“New Yorkers who want to check Mamdani and Hochul’s extremism have one choice: elect Bruce Blackman as governor in November and vote Republican at all levels of government,” NYGOP spokesman David Laska said in a statement after Mamdani’s op-ed.
Hochul served as lieutenant governor under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Taking over the top job in 2021 After Cuomo resigned after a barrage of sexual harassment allegations and the almost certain possibility of his impeachment. I became The first elected woman He moved to that role the following year, defeating former congressman and current EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, in a competitive race that narrowed as Zeldin became increasingly concerned about public safety.