‘My Little Communist’ Scores: NY Gov. Hochul’s Endorsement Reshapes NYC Mayoral Race After Summer of Political Drama

In a move that could dramatically reshape the November mayoral election, New York Governor Kathy Hochul endorsed Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani on Sunday night, ending nearly three months of speculation about whether she would back the 33-year-old democratic socialist who stunned the political establishment with his primary victory over Andrew Cuomo.

Writing in a New York Times opinion piece, Hochul said she is “confident that he has the courage, urgency and optimism New York City needs to lead it through the challenges of this moment,” despite acknowledging they have had “disagreements” during their conversations.

The endorsement comes after a tumultuous summer that saw Mamdani pull off one of the most surprising upsets in New York City political history and sets the stage for what promises to be a contentious general election campaign.

The path to Hochul’s endorsement began with Mamdani’s shocking June 24 Democratic primary victory over former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who many political observers had expected to cruise to the nomination. 

The Democrat ran on an agenda for free buses, health care and more affordable housing which gained traction with voters. As the Associated Press called the race after the results of the city’s ranked choice voting tabulation were released and showed Mamdani trouncing Cuomo by 12 percentage points.

Hochul’s endorsement represents a significant political gamble. The endorsement provides “a key affirmation for the 33-year-old frontrunner whose candidacy hasn’t yet been fully embraced by members of his own party,” according to Bloomberg News.

Hochul “needed to know the next mayor would not be someone who would surrender one inch” to President Trump, she wrote in her New York Times op-ed. The governor tweeted on Sunday saying, “New York City deserves a mayor who will stand up to Donald Trump and make life more affordable for New Yorkers.”

The timing of the endorsement is significant, coming as Mamdani, a staunch pro-Palestinian advocate who has campaigned for a more equitable city, faces criticism over his positions on various issues.

‘My Little Communist’

Perhaps the most surprising development in the race has been President Donald Trump’s involvement, which many political observers believe has inadvertently helped Mamdani’s campaign. Trump has repeatedly criticized the Democratic nominee, calling him “my little communist” and arguing that he isn’t fit to lead the country’s largest city, according to Fox News and NBC News reports.

The timing of the endorsement is significant, coming as Mamdani, a staunch pro-Palestinian advocate who has campaigned for a more equitable city, faces criticism over his positions on various issues.

CNN reported that Trump’s moves to reshape the race are “backfiring,” with the headline assessment that Trump is “helping elect a socialist mayor of New York City.” The president’s attempts to consolidate support for Andrew Cuomo against Mamdani by reportedly discussing job offers with Mayor Eric Adams have been widely seen as meddling that has actually boosted the progressive candidate.

In a remarkable acknowledgment, Trump told reporters last week that he’d “like to see 2 people drop out” to create a “one-on-one” race, effectively conceding that Mamdani is likely to win in the current four-way field. “I don’t think you can win unless you have one on one,” Trump said, according to Fox News and NBC News.

Mamdani has embraced the confrontation with Trump, vowing to be the president’s “worst nightmare” and calling White House intervention “an affront to our democracy.” At campaign events, Mamdani has argued that Trump’s fixation on stopping his campaign proves “he knows that while we share the same diagnosis of a cost-of-living crisis in this city and across this country, unlike him and his movement, we will actually do something about it.”

The endorsement has already begun to reshape the political landscape. According to the New York Post, party insiders said the governor’s stamp of approval will likely lead other Democratic leaders to follow her lead, potentially opening the door for endorsements from Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

However, the move has also drawn sharp criticism from Republican opponents and some Democratic constituencies. The Times of Israel noted that Hochul’s endorsement represents “a major boost for the harsh U.S. critic of Israel.”

Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa quickly attacked the endorsement, with his campaign spokesperson telling the New York Post: “The worst governor in America just endorsed the worst candidate for mayor. They deserve each other.”

The Current Race Dynamics

Following his primary loss, Cuomo launched a campaign as an independent for the November general election, setting up a four-way race that also includes Republican Curtis Sliwa and current Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary.

Recent polling shows Mamdani maintaining a strong lead. A CBS News New York poll from September 9, 2025 finds that in a potential two-way race, Zohran Mamdani leads Andrew Cuomo 48%-44%. Two new public opinion surveys in New York City’s 2025 election for mayor indicate that democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is the clear frontrunner in the four candidate race.

Political analysts suggest Hochul’s endorsement reflects her own electoral concerns heading into her 2026 gubernatorial re-election campaign. The New York Post reported that Hochul has been under mounting pressure from progressives to back Mamdani as she faces the possibility of a left-wing challenger in a party primary.

Democratic Party sources told the Post that Hochul “needs a huge vote from urban areas in next year’s general election because she’s unpopular in the suburbs and parts of upstate,” with one source saying “She needs to get the city vote out to survive.”

Mamdani, who could become the first Muslim and millennial leader of the nation’s largest city, now heads into the final stretch of the campaign with the backing of the state’s most powerful Democrat. However, he faces significant challenges, particularly in winning over moderate voters and addressing concerns about his progressive positions.

The endorsement also puts pressure on other Democratic leaders to take sides in what has become an increasingly polarized race. As one Democratic Party source told the New York Post: “This puts tremendous pressure on Jeffries and everyone who hasn’t endorsed Mamdani yet.”

With less than two months until the November 4 election, Hochul’s endorsement has injected new energy into a race that many observers expected Mamdani to win handily after his primary victory. However, the four-way nature of the general election, combined with Cuomo’s independent candidacy and concerns about Mamdani’s progressive positions, means the outcome remains far from certain.

The endorsement represents a significant moment not just for the mayoral race, but for the broader direction of the Democratic Party in New York, as establishment figures grapple with the rise of progressive candidates who have energized younger voters while potentially alienating more moderate constituencies.

This story was aggregated by AI from several news reports and edited by American Kahani’s News Desk.