New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul hold hands on stage as they attend a "New York is Not For Sale" rally at Forest Hills Stadium, in the Queens borough of New York City, on Oct. 26, 2025. (Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)
"I can hear you," Hochul responded as the stadium erupted with the chant.
Yet Hochul told reporters on Monday that she knows there is "passion" to raise taxes on corporations and the top 1% of New Yorkers, but the governor said she attended Mamdani's rally, as leader of New York's Democratic Party, to reaffirm her support for the Democratic mayoral nominee.
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"What I saw in that stadium was refreshing and energizing to know we can harness all that, to be on the same team and to make sure we can do a lot of great things for the people of this state and indeed the country," Hochul said.
Mamdani was joined by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Sunday for the "New York is Not for Sale Rally," with more than 10,000 people packed into Forest Hills Stadium, according to the campaign.
When pressed by a reporter if she would be willing to change her mind about raising taxes, Hochul said, "I'm having a lot of conversations about everything."
"They want to know my timeline. I said let's get through this election. Let's let the focus be on your race," Hochul added, explaining that she wanted to attend Sunday's rally as the leader of a diverse Democratic Party.
She also said she wasn't sure what the hecklers were saying. "I couldn't hear what they were chanting. I thought they were saying, 'Let's go, Bills.' I wasn't sure," Hochul said.
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., react on stage during a "New York is Not For Sale" rally at Forest Hills Stadium, in the Queens borough of New York City on Oct. 26, 2025. (Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)
Hochul endorsed Mamdani last month after previously withholding for months after Mamdani secured the Democratic nomination.
While Hochul has now thrown her political weight behind Mamdani as he campaigns to become the next mayor of the nation's most populous city, Mamdani has refused to endorse her own re-election campaign.
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Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who is considering a gubernatorial challenge against Hochul next year, said in a statement that Sunday's rally "could not have been more of a disaster" for Hochul.
"Hochul truly is the Worst Governor in America and voters across the political spectrum, including even the Socialists she bent the knee to, all know that she is truly the Worst Governor in America. New Yorkers will fire Kathy Hochul next year," Stefanik said.
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
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