Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) this week expressed a willingness to work with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani but cast herself as the centrist buffer to his socialist vision for the country’s most populous city.
While Hochul endorsed Mamdani weeks before the November election, their relationship has already gained scrutiny after the governor cast doubt on whether the mayor-elect’s plan for universal free bus fares was feasible. The dynamic has captured some of the tensions boiling over in the Democratic Party between establishment members and an increasingly powerful group of younger socialists.
During an interview released Tuesday, Hochul told observers to “calm down” the “hysteria” surrounding her rapport, or lack thereof, with Mamdani. Her job is “not about egos,” but about figuring out how she can help Mamdani “be successful” in his new role, even though there are “a lot of policies” she disagrees with, the governor told The Hill’s “Raising America” podcast.
“Historically, the governor and the mayor of New York are always fighting, and you know, who gets credit for what and who does the press conference now, before the other,” Hochul said.
“People don’t want that; they want people that they vote for to work together. And I’ve done that with the current mayor. I’m going to do it with the next mayor,” she added. “I don’t have to agree with someone. You know, a lot of policies, there are many I disagree with. But it doesn’t mean that I’m not going to get up every day and figure out how I can help him be successful, because I also represent 8 million New York City residents who need their governor to have their backs as well. … We’ll make it work.’”
On the other hand, Hochul sent a clear message to Mamdani that he shouldn’t expect his socialist agenda to sail through, given the political realities in New York, during another interview with City and State on Monday. The governor warned that New York is a “purple state,” not a “true blue” state, and pointed to sweeping concerns from centrist Democrats, including Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY) in Long Island, about Mamdani.
“I talked to him about where New York is versus the perception he may have of New York. Where he thinks it’s failing and that congestion pricing has destroyed the city and that the crime is out of control, I try to give them a sense of the reality here,” Hochul explained.
The governor said she was “encouraged” by Mamdani’s move to open the lines of communication with President Donald Trump, who emerged as Republicans’ leading critic of the mayor-elect this fall. Trump has threatened to pull federal funding from the city after Mamdani assumes office in January. And the president could further escalate tensions if he chooses to send National Guard troops or expand Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in New York City, as the White House has done elsewhere.
“That’s smart, that’s savvy,” Hochul said of Mamdani’s push to develop a collaborative approach to Washington. “While Donald Trump will always view it in his interest to denigrate and demonize Zohran Mamdani, perhaps there can be some accommodation linking again his financial interest to the city and the fact that we are the economic engine for the nation. That harm done here, mass chaos and creating an unstable situation, is not healthy for the business community and his friends.”
The New York governor framed herself as someone who is “not doctrinaire” as she pushed for a good-faith debate that doesn’t hold ideological differences as obstacles to working for the public good.
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“My preference is that we don’t have a circular firing squad, but we also can’t have a purity test. You could be a Democrat and disagree with us on individuals’ policies, but let’s not make it personal. Healthy disagreement as you represent your different part of the state that has different views is why we have a big-tent party,” she said.
“Don’t take me with a label, take me as someone who’s going to be pragmatic and deliver. I understand people’s anxieties on the center-right. We’ll get through it,” Hochul concluded.