Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani don’t agree on everything — and that includes who should represent Lower Manhattan and part of Brooklyn in Congress.
Hochul made her first joint campaign appearance with Rep. Dan Goldman Monday as he seeks re-election, putting her at odds with Mamdani, who has endorsed former City Comptroller Brad Lander in the race.
Speaking to a crowd of hundreds of union members at a rally in Lower Manhattan, Hochul lauded Goldman for leading the first impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
“He stood up to power and he was ferocious and courageous,” she said. “Those are traits that I gravitate to. This business is not for the faint of heart.”
Polls show a tight race between Goldman and Lander.
Mayor Mamdani has endorsed Brad Lander in the tight congressional race.
Goldman is a centrist Democrat who’s supported by the prominent pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC.
Mamdani and Lander cross-endorsed each other in last year’s ranked-choice Democratic primary for mayor. Both are vocal critics of Israel’s war in Gaza.
The competing endorsements are the latest wrinkle in Hochul and Mamdani’s political partnership.
The governor and mayor jointly announced nearly $2 billion in funding for childcare early in Mamdani’s tenure — a huge step toward fulfilling one of Mamdani’s signature campaign promises. Mamdani endorsed Hochul’s re-election campaign in February.
But Hochul has reportedly been irked by the repeated calls by Mamdani and his progressive allies to “tax the rich” by imposing higher income taxes on the state’s top earners.
The governor has said she doesn’t support raising the state’s income or corporate taxes. But she has proposed a new pied-à-terre tax on those with second homes in the city worth $5 million or more.
A spokesperson for Mamdani did not respond to a request for comment.
Rep. Dan Goldman joined Gov. Hochul for an event on mental health in February.
Goldman has also picked up the support of several prominent labor groups, including District Council 37, the largest municipal employees union in the city, and the New York City District Council of Carpenters.
Lander has the endorsements of the United Auto Workers regional chapter and the PSC/CUNY union.
In response to Hochul's endorsement of Goldman, Lander campaign spokesperson Emily Minster highlighted Lander’s labor support.
Lander will “work alongside local and national labor partners to fight the billionaires who are rigging the economy against working people,” Minster said.
Asked about the race being a proxy battle between Hochul and Mamdani, Goldman said it was a fight between him and Lander.
“I can assure you that when I'm knocking doors, nobody is asking me about the governor or the mayor. They're asking me about my agenda and whatever my opponent is saying,” Goldman said.
