Mamdani rallies with Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez as early voting shatters records
With record early voting turnout, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani drew a crowd of roughly 13,000 at a raucous rally in Queens
NEW YORK (Common Dreams) – With record early voting turnout, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani drew a crowd of roughly 13,000 at a raucous rally in Queens on Sunday, joined by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The rally marked the final stretch of Mamdani’s campaign before the Nov. 4 election, where polls show him leading Republican Curtis Sliwa and former Governor Andrew Cuomo by wide margins.
Hochul, who endorsed Mamdani last month, praised his focus on affordability and his push for universal childcare. But as she spoke, chants of “tax the rich!” erupted—an apparent jab at her opposition to Mamdani’s proposal to raise taxes on wealthy New Yorkers and corporations to fund social programs. “Oh, this crowd is fired up,” Hochul said in response. “I can hear you.”
Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist and state lawmaker, took the stage to thunderous applause, calling his campaign “a movement of the masses” against entrenched power.
“While Donald Trump’s billionaire donors think they have the money to buy this election, we have people,” he said. “We are building a city where everyone—no matter their zip code—has a roof over their head, healthcare, and dignity at work.”
He urged supporters to stay mobilized despite his lead in the polls.
“Go into the last eight days of this election assuming you are five points behind,” he said. “No longer should we think about our political process as settling for the lesser of two evils. We can demand a greater good.”
‘Billionaire influence over politics’
Mamdani also denounced billionaire influence over politics, arguing that his campaign represented a “new era” for city leadership. “No longer will we allow the Republican Party to be the one of ambition. No longer will we have to open a history book to read about Democrats leading with big ideas,” he said.
Sanders criticized the billionaire donors backing Mamdani’s opponents, including hedge fund manager Bill Ackman and casino magnate Steve Wynn, warning that “ordinary people get one vote, but billionaires get to spend as much as they want to elect the candidates they want.”
Ocasio-Cortez described the race as a microcosm of America’s broader political struggle, pitting “an authoritarian criminal presidency fueled by corruption and bigotry” and “a bygone political establishment” against movements for justice and equity.
“Both,” she said, “are funded by the same billionaire class whose greatest fear is a city that works for everyone.”
Mamdani closed by thanking the crowd for standing with him against what he called “the politics of fear and division.”
“We are not just fighting for City Hall,” he said. “We are fighting for a city that belongs to all of us.”
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