'Our work has only just begun': Mamdani, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rally the faithful ahead of New York City mayoral race.

Just over a seven days before the NYC mayor's race on November 4, approximately 13,000 attendees filled Forest Hills stadium for the “NYC Not For Sale” gathering, headlined by Congresswoman AOC, Senator Sanders and the Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

The historic outdoor stadium was packed to the rafters. New Yorkers of diverse ages and origins came together, but it was the Gen Z crowd that seemed to bring the excitement.

Many viewed the event as more than just a rally. It was a moment of unity, discontent and hope all at once. For Hayley Miller, 23, of Queens, the reason to attend was simple: “I’m here because the government sucks, to be honest with you … and I feel like we should make a change as a country, and New York City is definitely the place to start.”

Audience Enthusiasm and Views

For a local resident, 29, who lives in the neighborhood, the energy of the event reflected something he hasn’t felt in local politics in a long time. “It’s exciting that someone who actually might change things is appearing in an area that I’m in,” he said. “If it’s here, it’s like, why not? If we’re not gonna be engaged now, then when is the right moment?”

Another Forest Hills resident, Emily, 29, shared a similar enthusiasm: “I think it’s inspiring to be a part of this energy. We even went out to vote earlier today because we were getting in the mindset to be enthusiastic for everything that he’s for.”

The variety of the crowd mirrored the city itself. established New Yorkers, newcomers, working youth and older adults all were present. For Mitch, 68, from Queens, it was his first rally of the election season. “I’m here because, well, I want to listen to what they have to say, and there’s no other strong contenders, in my opinion,” he said.

Major Topics and Public Priorities

For the Astoria resident, the key issues facing NYC right now are “public security, the trains being safe, and cost of living”, adding that while he’s skeptical about whether Mamdani can fulfill all his pledges, he’s open-minded. “I don’t know who’s going to pay for all this stuff he wants done … but I’m going in open-minded, and just hoping somebody is offering some alternatives.”

Brooklyn, 30, also from Astoria, said their main concerns were defending LGBTQ+ equality and addressing the city’s housing and cost issues. “I think Mamdani is doing a excellent work of focusing on everything I’m worried by,” they said.

Nicole, 30, echoed that sentiment, commending Mamdani’s genuineness: “I feel like Mamdani is very sincere in his answers in a way that isn’t typically seen in most elected officials. He’s a little less lip service-y than usual.”

Campaign Messages and Highlights

Mamdani had a clear message he was aiming to get across at the rally; inclusion is NYC’s greatest asset. At one point, he had a Jewish leader, a Christian minister, and an Muslim cleric all on stage together in backing his campaign. Brad Lander, a past contender in this election, also came out to support Mamdani.

Sanders received the biggest cheers of the evening, matched by only Mamdani himself. Sanders spoke of the importance of voting for Mamdani to the position of mayor not only for the sake of making the city more economical, but also as a means to make a statement to Trump and the billionaires he has in his circle.

“Everyday citizens get one vote,” Sanders said. “Meanwhile, the ultra-rich get the opportunity to spend as much as they want to elect the candidates they want. That is the backdrop in which this election is taking place.”

New York governor Kathy Hochul was the only presenter met with mixed responses, with the audience frequently interrupting her speech to enthusiastically shout “Increase taxes on the wealthy!” Mamdani came out at the end of her speech to, quite literally, hold her hand, as if to demonstrate the audience the value of her appearance and backing.

It was a big contrast to representative Ocasio-Cortez, who spoke just after Hochul and was met with the audience calling out for her.

When it came time for the candidate to take the stage, the audience had been more than sufficiently hyped. As with the mayoral debate days earlier, he did not hold back at taking jabs Andrew Cuomo.

“Let our message ring so loud that he can hear them tonight in his $8,000-a-month apartment,” the mayoral hopeful said. “Let them be so loud that he can hear them even if he’s in Westchester tonight.”

But Mamdani did not focus excessively on Cuomo, instead devoting the latter half of his speech to expressing gratitude to the coalition who had supported him for the past several months and helped with his record-breaking campaign.

Perhaps the most evocative moment came towards the end, when he asked attendees who had helped out and gone door-to-door for his campaign to turn on their lights. The arena immediately illuminated in a multitude of glowing screens, too many to count.

“Our work has only just begun. On 4 November we set ourselves free,” the candidate said in his closing words.