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NEW YORK (AP) — Gov. Kathy Hochul connected Sunday urged New Yorkers to ballot Zohran Mamdani for politician of New York City, giving the Democratic nominee 1 of his astir important endorsements to day successful the contention to pb the nation's biggest city.
Writing successful the New York Times' sentiment section, Hochul said that portion she and Mamdani diverged connected immoderate issues, they came unneurotic connected the value of addressing the affordability situation successful the metropolis and crossed the state.
“But successful our conversations, I heard a person who shares my committedness to a New York wherever children tin turn up harmless successful their neighborhoods and wherever accidental is wrong scope for each family,” wrote Hochul, a Democrat. “I heard a person who is focused connected making New York City affordable — a extremity I enthusiastically support.”
The stunning occurrence of Mamdani, a 33-year-old self-described antiauthoritarian socialist, successful the contention for New York City politician has exposed divisions wrong the Democratic Party arsenic it struggles to repair its marque much than fractional a twelvemonth into Donald Trump’s presidency. Hochul’s endorsement is the latest motion that Democratic leaders who had been skeptical of Mamdani’s wide views are opening to consolidate astir him.
Mamdani thanked Hochul for the boost, saying it's a motion “our question is increasing stronger.”
“Governor Hochul has made affordability the centerpiece of her work. I look guardant to warring alongside her to proceed her way grounds of putting wealth backmost successful New Yorkers’ pockets and gathering a safer and stronger New York City wherever nary 1 is forced to permission conscionable truthful they tin spend to rise a family," Mamdani said successful a connection Sunday night. “I’m grateful to the Governor for her enactment successful unifying our enactment — arsenic good arsenic the enactment she’s done lasting up to President Trump, securing escaped luncheon meals for our kids, and expanding entree to childcare.”
In caller weeks, the different candidates successful the contention — erstwhile Gov. Andrew Cuomo, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and Republican Curtis Sliwa — person intensified their disapproval of Mamdani implicit his level and past statements up of the city’s wide predetermination successful November.
Hochul said different crushed she decided to backmost Mamdani was his vow that helium would marque definite the New York Police Department had the resources it needs to support the city's streets and subways safe.
“I urged him to guarantee that determination is beardown enactment astatine the helm of the N.Y.P.D. — and helium agreed,” Hochul wrote.
Mamdani, who is starring successful the polls, has not been endorsed by immoderate salient Democrats, including Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, the number leaders successful the U.S. Senate and House.
U.S. House Republican Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, a New York congresswoman, said Hochul's endorsement is simply a motion that the politician is moving near to enactment up falling canvass numbers.
“At the nonstop infinitesimal erstwhile New Yorkers are looking for beardown enactment from their Governor with a bulk opposing Zohran Mamdani, Kathy Hochul embraces this raging Communist who volition destruct New York making it little affordable and much unsafe — erstwhile again putting criminals and communists first, and New Yorkers LAST,” Stefanik said successful a Sunday statement.
Mamdani soundly defeated Cuomo successful the Democratic primary. Cuomo has since relaunched his run arsenic an independent. Adams, a Democrat, skipped the superior to tally arsenic an autarkic successful November. Sliwa ran unopposed successful the Republican primary.
Hochul served arsenic lieutenant politician to Cuomo and replaced him aft helium stepped down successful 2021 pursuing a barrage of intersexual harassment allegations. He denied wrongdoing during the campaign, maintaining that the ungraded was driven by politics.
