Governor Kathy Hochul faced hecklers shouting “tax the rich!” as she took the stage at Zohran Mamdani’s packed mayoral rally in Queens on Sunday night. The rowdy crowd forced the headlining candidate to come out early to calm tensions.
The Democratic governor appeared at the sold-out “New York is Not For Sale” rally held at the 13,000-seat Forest Hills Stadium, a get-out-the-vote event featuring progressive icons Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders. The event was in support of mayoral frontrunner and Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.
Despite having recently endorsed Mamdani for New York City mayor, Hochul had previously expressed concerns about his tax-the-rich policies. During her surprise appearance, she attempted to maintain her message amid the loud boos and chants from the audience.
“Right now, our city and our state and our country are under attack by Donald Trump and our Republicans in Washington,” Hochul said from the stage, flanked by state Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. “They’re literally not just taking a wrecking ball to the White House, they are taking a wrecking ball to our values, our people, our progress.”
She continued to criticize the government shutdown, ICE raids in New York City, and the indictment of Attorney General Letitia James.
“Oh, you’re fired up, you’re fired up,” Hochul responded to the hecklers as they drowned out her words. “Alright. I can hear you,” she added, briefly eliciting cheers before more jeers followed.
“You want to see Zohran or not?” she asked impatiently, while mispronouncing his name.
Hochul struggled to finish her remarks, concluding with a plea for the audience to channel “that energy, that passion” into the 2026 midterm elections. Her closing words finally earned persistent applause from the crowd.
Zohran Mamdani then took the stage well before his scheduled appearance as the final speaker. He embraced the governor and raised her hand amid cheers. Mamdani greeted Stewart-Cousins and Heastie before escorting Hochul offstage.
Mamdani has yet to endorse Hochul for reelection. During a mayoral debate earlier this month against former Governor Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa, Mamdani said his decision on whether to back Hochul would come only after the general election.
Hochul has previously criticized Mamdani’s proposal to impose a 2% income tax on New Yorkers earning over $1 million annually and to raise the corporate tax from 7.25% to 11.5%, matching New Jersey’s rate. In a June interview, when asked if she supported Mamdani’s tax plan, she flatly replied, “No.”
“I’m not raising taxes at a time where affordability is the big issue,” Hochul told PIX 11.
https://nypost.com/2025/10/26/us-news/hecklers-taunt-gov-hochul-with-tax-the-rich-chant-at-zohran-mamdanis-nyc-rally-featuring-aoc-and-sanders/
