Stefanik Accuses 'Scared' Hochul of Endorsing Mamdani to Avoid Primary Threat

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) has leveled a bold charge at Governor Kathy Hochul, asserting that Hochul endorsed mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani not because they share values, but because the governor feared a progressive backlash and a possible party primary.

Stefanik’s allegation follows the emergence of an undercover video in which a Mamdani campaign staffer claimed the candidate could mobilize “60,000 volunteers” to work for opponents of Hochul. While the staffer did not clarify how such a strategy would unfold, Stefanik was clear in her message: Hochul was scared and presumably acted preemptively, hoping to lock in support and avoid a left-wing challenger aimed at her 2026 reelection.

Stefanik criticized the endorsement as part of a larger “Kathy Hochul tax-and-spend” strategy that she said has weakened the Democratic governor’s re-election standing. According to the congresswoman, Hochul’s alliance with a candidate like Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, signals both political desperation and a departure from moderating course.

In response, Hochul emphasized her commitment to resolving the city’s affordability challenges and said she had “had frank conversations” with Mamdani despite their “disagreements.” “I heard a leader who shares my commitment to a New York where children can grow up safe in their neighborhoods and where opportunity is within reach for every family,” she wrote recently.

Even so, Stefanik argues that Hochul’s endorsement may backfire, energizing progressive activists who could pivot from the mayor’s race to target the governor herself. With the mayor’s race shifting rapidly, the implications ripple far beyond New York City. For Hochul, aligning with Mamdani may have been a tactical move, but Stefanik says it reveals a deeper vulnerability: a governor more afraid of her base than confident in her agenda.

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Stefanik Accuses 'Scared' Hochul of Endorsing Mamdani to Avoid Primary Threat