Hochul Endorses Mamdani. The Very Next Day, He Refuses To Endorse Her.

In a move that underscores the growing arrogance of the Democratic Party’s far-left flank, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani refused to endorse sitting New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for re-election just one day after she publicly backed his candidacy — a gesture that cost her political capital among moderates and independents.

After weeks of hesitation, Hochul, the embattled Democrat, finally bent the knee and endorsed Mamdani over the weekend. She published an op-ed in The New York Times, making the case that unity against Donald Trump was more important than her ideological rift with Mamdani — a radical democratic socialist who backs higher taxes, defunding the police, and “reimagining” capitalism.

But Mamdani, true to form, wasted no time revealing just how transactional the endorsement would be. Speaking to reporters on Monday, he casually brushed aside the idea of returning the favor. “My focus is on November,” Mamdani said, refusing to endorse Hochul’s 2026 re-election bid. He offered perfunctory gratitude for her support — then pivoted back to his talking points.

The message was clear: Mamdani is happy to accept Hochul’s help, but he has no intention of helping her fend off what could be a brutal primary challenge from her own left flank — or a general election fight against Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who’s already blasting Hochul for supporting “a raging antisemite communist.”

Hochul didn’t simply endorse Mamdani out of genuine alignment. She did it as a calculated gamble — to shore up support among progressives ahead of a likely challenge from Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado and to boost turnout in NYC. And yet, Mamdani couldn’t even offer her the bare minimum in return.

This one-sided “alliance” is exposing the very rift that is tearing the Democratic Party apart. Hochul admitted in her own op-ed that she and Mamdani were “unlikely allies” and that they “don’t see eye to eye.” She explicitly distanced herself from his most extreme proposals — including hiking taxes on the wealthy and gutting the NYPD — while also noting concerns over antisemitism.

Meanwhile, other prominent New York Democrats like Sen. Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have still refused to endorse Mamdani at all.

Stefanik wasted no time capitalizing on Hochul’s endorsement, torching the governor for “putting jet fuel on commie Mamdani” and vowing to save New York from the radicalism she said is destroying the state.

Hochul handed Mamdani a lifeline in the name of party unity. In return, he handed her political disrespect and strategic silence.

It’s the perfect encapsulation of today’s Democratic Party: “moderates” grovel to radicals as the radicals grind them down.