Mamdani, AOC and Sanders rally huge crowd ahead of New York City mayoral election

The sudden drop in temperature in what has otherwise been a warm October did not deter 13,000 people from turning up to an outdoor rally to support Democratic Socialist and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in the borough of Queens on Sunday evening.

Both supporters and canvassers filled the seats and the standing area in front of the stage at Forest Hills Stadium for the "New York is not for Sale" rally ahead of the mayoral election on 4 November.

Anticipation and excitement punctuated the air at the historic 1920s music venue. Like any good gig, people looked visibly excited to be there. 

Attendees spanned a multitude of backgrounds and ages, representing the diverse movement that Mamdani has built. Queens is widely considered one of the most diverse neighbourhoods in the world.

One of the speakers warming up the crowd included NYC comptroller Brad Lander, who ran against Mamdani in the mayoral primary. He elicited laughter from the audience when he told them he was “otherwise known as your second choice in the primary”.

Lander said the primary had given him the opportunity to see the coalition Mamdani was building, and then "become a part of it”.

Cheers erupted from the crowd when he urged everyone “to send that corrupt, abusive bully Andrew Cuomo back to the suburbs” and that he couldn’t wait to repeat what he had said at the primary, which was, “Good fuckin riddance”. 

Mamdani won the New York City Democratic mayoral primary on 24 June with 56 percent of the vote, defeating former New York state governor Andrew Cuomo and Lander and making him the official Democratic nominee for the November election. Cuomo is running as an Independent in the election.

Cuomo was accused of sexual harassment and corruption during his stint as governor. During his tenure, he garnered both criticism and popular appeal for his handling of the pandemic, which hit the city hard.

The establishment politician has been accused of deploying Islamophobic rhetoric against Mamdani in the last week, along with current mayor Eric Adams, who had also run as an Independent until he dropped out of the race. Adams is currently endorsing Cuomo.

'Not a radical act'

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, approached the stage to roaring applause.

The congresswoman, who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens, told the audience that they were on the “precipice of hope for our city".  She said the upcoming election featured Mamdani running against “an insufficient bygone eroded political establishment" in the form of Cuomo.

"[Cuomo's] pursuit of power has blinded them to what that power is supposed to be used for in the first place, which is supposed to aid and put the working people of America and New York City first.”

The 'right to healthcare instead of paying for the flattening of Palestinians and other oppressed people abroad is not a radical act'

- Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

She added that New Yorkers' right to “demand affordable and decent housing, a decent wage, the right to healthcare instead of paying for the flattening of Palestinians and other oppressed people abroad is not a radical act”.

As the congresswoman introduced Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, with whom she has been travelling around the US during their "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, the crowd went wild again. 

Sanders addressed the crowd, highlighting how the New York City election had captured the world's attention. 

“A New York City mayor’s race attracts a lot of attention. But this mayor’s race is different…The truth is that people all over the world are paying attention to what will happen here. Why has this campaign created unbelievable interest?” he asked. 

“This election takes place in a moment… when we have a rigged economy, when we have more wealth inequality than we’ve ever had in the history of our country,” he said as the crowd booed in response. 

“The wealthiest country in the history of the world has one of the highest rates of childhood poverty and senior poverty of any nation,” he added.

Sanders warned of an authoritarian government undermining the constitution, where billionaires in both political parties could select the candidates they want and buy elections, saying that oligarchs were afraid of people's power.

He urged the crowd not to be complacent: “Don’t undermine the competition. Go in assuming that you are five points behind,” referring to Mamdani's strong polling ahead of the vote.

Early voting started on Saturday, with 164,000 people casting their votes, according to the election board. This is equivalent to the total number of people who turned out for the early voting period in 2021.

Home stretch

Just under three hours after the rally started, New York state assemblyman Mamdani arrived on stage to jubilant cheers and applause.

“We are just getting started,” he told the crowd, thanking them for creating the movement they were now part of.

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“The world is changing,” he added. “It’s not a question of when that change will come, but who will change it. We have an opportunity before us that few have ever received, and even fewer have seized."

Like Sanders, he warned against complacency over the next nine days. He acknowledged people were tired, and joked that they should drink Yemeni chai to push forward, while also asking “more” from them.

"I ask for more because that is the only reason we can have a future of mores."

At that point, he asked those who would continue canvassing and knocking on doors to turn on their phone lights.

Dancing flashlights lit up the dark stadium and the cold New York City night.

“Let us make a light bright enough to banish any darkness. Over these final nine days and the years to follow, we will triumph over the oligarchs,” he said.

A few minutes later, he added: ”New York: our work has only just begun. On November 4, we set ourselves free,” as he wrapped up his speech to thunderous applause.

Early polls indicate that Mamdani is leading currently, with eight days left until the mayoral election. But a new poll from Suffolk University shows Cuomo closing the gap from a 20-point lead in late September to just 10 points as of last week.