Kathy Hochul said she reached her decision after months of conversations with Zohran Mamdani, which gave her confidence that overrode their “disagreements.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has delivered her long-awaited endorsement in the New York City mayoral race, backing Zohran Mamdani in a New York Times op-ed on Sunday.
Her endorsement comes amid a string of polls predicting Mamdani’s victory with 50 days to the election. It also follows months of questions about how the governor, a moderate Democrat who calls herself a “staunch capitalist” and supporter of Israel, would approach a democratic socialist who plans to tax the rich and has vowed to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York City.
Hochul said she reached her decision after months of conversations with Mamdani, which gave her confidence that overrode their “disagreements.” She emphasized that Mamdani had assured her of his commitment to Jewish New Yorkers.
“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,” she said.
The statement marks a departure from remarks in July, when Hochul chastised Mamdani for having “a lot of healing to do with the Jewish community.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks at a press conference in Manhattan in New York City, U.S., February 20, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/BRENDAN MCDERMID)
Zohran Mamdani’s softening stances
Her endorsement comes amid a flurry from prominent Democrats as Mamdani solidifies his frontrunner status and publicly softens some of his stances.
An early example came around the pro-Palestinian slogan “globalize the intifada,” which Mamdani declined to condemn during the primary. In recent months, he has repeatedly said he would “discourage” the language and does not use it himself, often referencing a meeting with a rabbi that shifted his perspective. (While many pro-Palestinian activists argue the phrase represents a nonviolent call for liberation, many Jews and other critics interpret it as a call for violence against Jews.)
Hochul also said she shared Mamdani’s goal of addressing New York City’s affordability crisis. And she said that he agreed on her priorities of giving the police “every resource to keep our streets and subways safe” and hiring a “strong” police commissioner.
“I urged him to ensure that there is strong leadership at the helm of the NYPD — and he agreed,” she wrote.
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican who is likely to challenge Hochul in next year’s gubernatorial election, slammed the endorsement. Stefanik declared that Hochul now owns “every radical position” of Mamdani’s, including “every heinous pro-Hamas antisemitic position.”
The left flank of the party had been pressuring Hochul, along with other Democratic leaders, to rally behind Mamdani as President Donald Trump has weighed interfering to attempt to block his victory for weeks. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both New Yorkers, have yet to make an endorsement in the race.
