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Just over a week before New York City’s mayoral election on 4 November, about 13,000 people poured into Forest Hills stadium in Queens for the “NYC Is Not For Sale” rally, a packed gathering headlined by representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, senator Bernie Sanders and the Democratic mayoral candidate, assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.
The historic open-air venue was filled to capacity. New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds came together, but it was the Gen Z crowd that seemed to animate the atmosphere.
Many there described the event as more than just a rally. It was a moment of unity, frustration and optimism all at once. For Hayley Miller, 23, of Briarwood, the motivation to attend was simple: “I’m here because the government sucks, to be honest with you … and I feel like we should make a change as a country, and New York City is definitely the place to start that.”
For Spencer, 29, who lives nearby in Forest Hills, the energy of the event reflected something he hasn’t felt in local politics in a long time. “It’s exciting that someone who actually might change things is appearing in an area that I’m in,” he said. “If it’s here, it’s like, why not? If we’re not gonna be involved now, then when is the time?”
Another Forest Hills resident, Emily, 29, shared a similar enthusiasm: “I think it’s exciting to be a part of this energy. We even went out to vote earlier today because we were getting in the mindset to be psyched for everything that he’s for.”
The diversity of the crowd mirrored the city itself. Longtime residents, newcomers, young professionals and retirees all were present in the crowd. For Mitch, 68, from Astoria, it was his first rally of the campaign. “I’m here because, well, I want to hear what they have to say, and there’s no other viable candidates, in my opinion,” he said.
For Mitch, the key issues facing NYC right now are “safety, the trains being safe, and affordability”, adding that while he’s skeptical about whether Mamdani can deliver on all his promises, he’s open-minded. “I don’t know who’s going to pay for all this stuff he wants done … but I’m going in open-minded, and just hoping somebody is offering some alternatives.”
Brooklyn, 30, also from Astoria, said their top priorities were protecting LGBTQ rights and tackling the city’s affordability crisis. “I think Mamdani is doing a great job of addressing everything I’m concerned about,” they said.
Nicole, 30, echoed that sentiment, praising Mamdani’s authenticity: “I feel like Mamdani is very genuine in his responses in a way that isn’t typically seen in most politicians. He’s a little less lip service-y than usual.”
Mamdani had a clear message he was aiming to get across at the rally; diversity is NYC’s biggest strength. At one point, he had a rabbi, a reverend, and an imam all on stage together in support of his campaign. Brad Lander, the city’s comptroller and a former candidate in this election, also came out to endorse Mamdani.
Sanders received the loudest applause of the evening, tied with only Mamdani himself. Sanders spoke of the importance of electing Mamdani to the position of mayor not only for the sake of making the city more affordable, but also as a means to send a message to Trump and the billionaires he has in his circle.
“Ordinary people get one vote,” Sanders said. “Meanwhile, billionaires get the opportunity to spend as much as they want to elect the candidates they want. That is the context in which this election is taking place.”
New York governor Kathy Hochul was the only speaker met with mixed responses, with the audience frequently interrupting her speech to enthusiastically chant “Tax the rich!” Mamdani came out at the end of her speech to, quite literally, hold her hand, as if to show the audience the importance of her presence and endorsement.
It was a big contrast to representative Ocasio-Cortez, who spoke just after Hochul and was met with the audience chanting her name.
When it came time for Mamdani himself to take the stage, the crowd had been more than sufficiently hyped. As with the mayoral debate days earlier, he did not hold back at taking jabs at Andrew Cuomo.
“Let our words ring so loud that Cuomo can hear them tonight in his $8,000-a-month apartment,” the Democratic candidate said. “Let them be so loud that he can hear them even if he’s in Westchester tonight.”
But Mamdani did not dwell too long on Cuomo, instead dedicating the latter half of his speech to thanking the coalition who had supported him for the past several months and contributed to his record-breaking campaign.
Perhaps the most evocative moment came towards the end, when he asked anyone in the crowd who had volunteered and canvassed for his campaign to turn on their lights. The crowd immediately lit up in a sea of bright phone lights, too many to count.
“Our work has only just begun. On 4 November we set ourselves free,” Mamdani said in his closing words.
