Hochul’s Endorsement of Zohran Mamdani Sparks Democratic Revolt

Governor Kathy Hochul’s political missteps continue to snowball, this time igniting fury within her own party after she endorsed self-described socialist Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor. It's a move that even fellow Democrats have privately called disastrous.

Representative Elise Stefanik, who has long branded Hochul as “the worst governor in America,” said Democrats across the state are now privately expressing regret for backing the embattled governor and are eager to see her replaced.

“Democrats are reaching out to us in droves, saying they will refuse to support Kathy, and they look forward to firing her next year,” said Stefanik to the Post.

The upstate congresswoman said Hochul “bent the knee to the raging, antisemite, ‘Defund The Police’ communist” – referring to Mamdani – and accused the governor of selling out working-class New Yorkers for the approval of the far-left.

“He’s going to make [New York City] more unaffordable, more unlivable, and dangerous, and she owns this lock, stock and barrel. It is catastrophic for the people of New York,” Stefanik said.

Hochul’s endorsement has deepened fractures inside the Democratic Party, with even her own state party chair, Jay Jacobs, refusing to follow her lead. Other Democratic lawmakers have publicly distanced themselves from Mamdani, warning that his brand of politics could further destabilize the state’s already-fragile economy and public safety climate.

Stefanik said Hochul’s alliance with the controversial candidate proves just how politically desperate the governor has become as she struggles with plummeting approval ratings and open dissatisfaction from progressives, moderates, and conservatives alike.

“It’s a full-blown socialist takeover of the Democrat Party playing out for all to see in the most important city in the world,” Stefanik said. “And it is going to be a significant drag on Democrat candidates up and down the ballot.”

Hochul’s appearance at a Queens campaign event for Mamdani last week only intensified the backlash after she was heckled by left-wing activists chanting “tax the rich.”

“She’s disliked not just by Republicans and independents, but the Democrats, and even the socialists who heckled her off the stage,” Stefanik said.

Polls now show the governor’s position weakening further. A Manhattan Institute survey released Tuesday found Stefanik narrowly leading Hochul in a hypothetical 2026 gubernatorial matchup, a shock considering polls showed Hochul with a commanding 14-point lead just months before.

Insiders say Hochul’s endorsement of Mamdani was a calculated effort to placate far-left factions and prevent a serious primary challenge next year, possibly from her own lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado. But the move appears to have backfired, fueling resentment from mainstream Democrats who view her decision as reckless and politically suicidal.

Hochul’s campaign, declining direct comment, instead pointed reporters to state Democratic Party spokesman Addison Dick who accused Stefanik of “running from” her congressional record.

“While she sells out New Yorkers to Trump, Governor Hochul is cutting costs, protecting healthcare and keeping our communities safe,” Dick said.

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Hochul’s Endorsement of Zohran Mamdani Sparks Democratic Revolt