Hochul campaigns with Mamdani as New York's governor's race enters final stretch
Gov. Kathy Hochul is increasingly turning to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as she seeks to energize voters in the final weeks of the gubernatorial campaign.
Hochul joined Mamdani at a restaurant in Greenpoint and is scheduled to appear with him again Sunday as early voting gets underway this weekend.
The joint appearances come as Hochul works to drive turnout among younger voters, a key constituency that helped propel Mamdani to victory in the New York City mayoral race.
The effort comes as new polling suggests voter turnout could skew older in the general election.
A recent study by AARP and Gotham Polling & Analytics found voters ages 50 and older could outnumber younger voters by roughly 1.3 million in this year's election.
Boosting turnout in New York City remains critical for Hochul.
A Sept. 23 Siena College poll showed Hochul leading Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman 50% to 41% statewide.
However, the poll found the race much closer in the downstate suburbs, where Hochul held a 48% to 46% advantage, while Blakeman led 47% to 44% in upstate New York.
Blakeman has frequently criticized Mamdani and his democratic socialist political views throughout the campaign.
"Zohran Mamdani doesn't want to take care of New Yorkers," Blakeman said.
Meanwhile, Blakeman told CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer during a taping of "The Point" that, if elected governor, one of his first actions would be replacing MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber.
"That agency is completely mismanaged," Blakeman said. "I don't think anybody can say that the MTA is doing a good job. They've got a leader who is the most arrogant person I've ever met. He's got contempt for the riding public."
Blakeman also said he would have handled the arrival of migrants sent to New York by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott differently than the current administration.
"I would give them emergency services, and then I would ship them out," Blakeman said. "Why should New York taxpayers have to pay for people who come here illegally, feed them, house them, give them transportation?"
While Mamdani and Hochul differ on some policy issues, including taxes and Middle East policy, the mayor remains a popular figure among many Democratic voters.
Hochul's campaign appearances with Mamdani underscore the importance of voter turnout as early voting begins and Election Day approaches.
