By Gus Saltonstall
Following Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City on Tuesday night, Upper West Side elected officials are coming out in support of the candidate for the November election, including State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal.
Hoylman-Sigal, who is the projected Democratic nominee for Manhattan Borough President in the upcoming General Election, announced his endorsement of Mamdani on Thursday, shared exclusively with West Side Rag.
“Zohran Mamdani’s campaign energized the New York City electorate in fresh and inspiring ways, bringing out communities eager to make their voices heard,” Hoylman-Sigal said in a statement. “Yesterday, I spoke to Zohran and expressed the importance of fighting antisemitism and tackling hate in all of its forms.”
“I look forward to supporting Zohran as the Democratic nominee for mayor and working with him to stand up to threats from Washington and deliver on making our City the inclusive and affordable place New Yorkers deserve,” he continued. “Now is a moment for Democratic unity.”
Mamdani told the Rag that it was an “honor” to receive Hoylman-Sigal’s endorsement.
“It’s an honor to have the support of Brad Hoylman-Sigal as we grow this movement and build a diverse coalition rooted in the needs of working people across the five boroughs,” Mamdani said.
Hoylman-Sigal’s endorsement of Mamdani comes one day after Upper West Side Rep. Jerry Nadler officially announced his support of the Queens assemblymember in the mayoral race.
“Voters in New York City demanded change and, with Zohran’s triumph, we have a direct repudiation of Donald Trump’s politics of tax cuts and authoritarianism,” Nadler told the New York Times about his decision to endorse Mamdani.
Nadler had previously endorsed former Upper West Side elected official Scott Stringer in the Democratic primary for mayor.
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Disgraceful.
12 years ago De Blasio came in by differentiating himself from better qualified opponents using his telegenic son. He used that ‘hook’ to beat the far more qualified Quinn the way Mamdani just beat the far more odious Cuomo. He inherited a City with record low crime, in good order, with substantial job growth, two new economic sectors coming into their own (tech and health sciences), and revenues skyrocketing.
From his plateful of ideas he got one substantial thing done, pre-K. He paid little attention to management outside of the NYPD (which he actually handled well), and had lousy relations not just with Cuomo but the state legislature as well. The City’s managerial employees (our very own ‘deep state’) disrespected him, he let the City get dirty, spent every penny he got his hands on, and cut deals with the usual gang like real estate developers in return for campaign cash and because he saw the need to keep revenues coming in and guess who pays them?
And he’s remembered how???
If he wins Mamdani will be coming in with crime higher than 12 years ago, significant disorder, job growth tepid, and existing revenue issues. In fact, revenues will decline because of federal cuts to health, housing, and transit. And the state legislature and governor are the ones who set our tax rates, not the mayor.
The issues facing the next mayor will be managerial, not philosophical. He’d better buckle down and his supporters better get ready for a lot of disappointment when the buses aren’t free and the city owned food stores aren’t opened.
When Bill de Blasio was running for mayor nobody else wanted the job.
He was running against:
• Joseph J. Lhota: The Republican
• Adolfo Carrión Jr.: An independent candidate.
• Anthony Gronowicz: The Green Party candidate
And a …
• Randy Credico
There was a primary and that’s the election I referred to.
We need change, but letting the government run things like grocery stores never works. A lot of people voted for this guy just because he’s a fresh face – but never having read what he stood for. So if you want this sinking city to end up looking like LA, SF and CHI then yes – vote for him…
The government runs grocery stores all over the country. Go visit any major military base and you’ll see they work just fine.
Feeding our soldiers is one good and necessary thing. Feeding poor people who shouldn’t live here because they cant afford is another, less good and unnecessary thing.
Sure, lets use the Pentagon and how they manage a budget as an example. Great idea.
Because they are heavily subsidized and are free of sales tax.
Not close. Military base stores have a customer base that is, in a word, disciplined. And the penalty for theft from a base store includes losing your job and your home.
Compare, for example, how well government here handles the 800 million a year in fare beating and toll beating.
The idea of the stores isn’t worthless, it’s providing good quality in food deserts. However, that could be done a lot cheaper by subsidizing better quality stuff in existing bodegas.
NYC already has a program to subsidize grocery stores in food desserts.
Yes, let’s militarize the whole country, comrade. I have a piece of land on Broadway between 76th and 81st to sell you for a military base and the related food store. Or you can just come seize it and send me to a camp in North Dakota as an enemy of the people.
No competition
Again he was not my first choice but he gave some very thoughtful interviews on his ideas including on the city run grocery stores where he said hey lets try it out, if it doesn’t work, move on.
Everyone is getting a little too hysterical, he’s much more likely to get nothing done than he is to “sink the city”. Let’s give him a chance.
He has people and businesses on their heels like I’ve never seen before. People actually seem excited that they’re scared and considering packing it up and relocating, but it seems like it will be a Pyrrhic victory. In other words, that’s NOT good, considering where most of the tax revenue comes from:
https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/new-york-city-quarterly-cash-report/
If that tax revenue dwindles even just a little bit, it seems like the only option would be to hike residential property taxes, which would exacerbate outmigration to neighboring cities/states (and further reduce tax receipts).
Someone please convince me that I’m wrong (and please refrain from using arguments like “but NYC is the greatest city in the world so they won’t leave”).
Talk is cheap, moving is harder. NYC has some fundamental advantages in density and concentration of talent that are hard/impossible to replicate. JP Morgan just spent $3bn on their new HQ, they aren’t fleeing to FL anytime soon.
Plus I think his worst ideas will be checked by Hochul and the city counsel. Most likely we will muddle through some mistakes but things will be ok and NYC will continue to be the greatest city in the world.
Mamdani’s approval ratings tank like Brandon Johnson’s does within months. Mayor is a dead end job.
I will not give a chance to someone affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America.
Give him a chance to get nothing done?! Like Adams or DeBlasio? Aren’t we supposed to demand more from the CEO of the City? Doing nothing is the standard we now accept?
Obviously the meaning was we should give him a chance to govern and implement his agenda, we will judge him by the results.
Accomplishing nothing would be bad and is what we are currently getting from the Adams administration.
You already assess “he’s much more likely to get nothing done.” People like that, who haven’t even managed as much as a college newspaper, and have questionable views on basic economics, should come nowhere near running an economy the size of Spain or Canada. Not be given “chances” to manage a global Top 10 economy and a complex metropolis.
You have left off the back half of my quote which is critical, it’s right up there but let me complete it for you: “he’s much more likely to get nothing done than he is to sink the city”
There’s a very good chance he deadlocks with the governor and city counsel on his more controversial ideas and ends up doing a good job governing. If you listen to some of his interviews he comes across as very thoughtful and if he hires good & experienced people (like Lander) in his administration we may get a good outcome here.
Bill DeBlasio was more competent than many people give him credit for.
Thank you. Great assessment.
We voted for him and we know exactly what he stands for. Not everyone agrees with you on how we want the city to be run, that’s the beauty of a democracy, but the majority of voters believe in going in a different direction from the Bloomberg years and the polls show it. Honestly, Mamdani is a breath of fresh air in what’s ultimately been a suffocating last few years under Trump and Adams.
A breath of fresh air? I feel like I’m suffocating.
Hahaha! As we tend to do when dealing with the ‘establishment ‘ ..!
Who is “we”? And why would any educated adult with a sane mind want to go to a different direction from the Bloomberg years?
TDS: Trump does not run NYC
Trump is the president, not talking about him is not an option. The knee-jerk “TDS!! TDS!!” just makes Trump supporters appear that much more likely that they suffer from the malady projected onto everyone who sees Trump for what/who/how he really is.
By all means, do tell us what of Adams’ actions have been suffocating your life in NYC these last few years.
Let’s start with trying to put your brother to the payroll the first week. Went downhill from there to end up under Trump’s boot
This is the central issue with me for Adams. He hasn’t been great nor terrible. But he now owes a debt to Trump for making his federal corruption charges vanish. And Trump is a man who cashes in on the few favors he bestows.
And just watch how hard the GOP will fight to re-elect Adams. It won’t be because they actually like him. And it definitely won’t be because they care about NYC.
That suffocated you? Not the billions of fraud, waste and abuse in the general management of this City, under Adams and before him? This tiny part of that general corruption?
And the new venerable comrade, still not outgrown his college Marxism classes, is going to fix this?
You gotta be joking.
I think Adams has mostly just neglected the job of being mayor, he’s been a little preoccupied with his own scandals and sampling the local nightlife.
Aren’t the Republicans always screaming what a dystopia NYC has been the last four years? They’re really going to turn around and say hmm actually things are pretty great under Adams?
Urbanists usually love someone who samples the local nightlife though!
cant wate til zohan the grate taxe over the mayer job. rent is to dam hi and gonna ride buses 4 free to
Please give your parents the iPad back.
😂
I thought most people had already figured out how to ‘ride buses for free’ in New York! !! ?
The bus thing is annoying. I’ve paid to commute on the subway for decades and still do — why should I pay for the subway like that and also pay for someone else’s “free” bus ride?
Its cheaper than spending billions on fare enforcement. Thats why. Zohran clearly laid that out in his cost assessment.
Chirs, There is little to no enforcement. M66 most ride for free.
Billions? The bus is already payment optional, we all know that. Why not let the people who can and want to pay, pay?
But that doesn’t address the inequity between bus riders and people who diligently pay their subway fare every day. Few people in the world have supported the MTA more than me over the years. I have to pay for the bus riders too? Why do train riders get screwed?
Free bus to subway transfers and unlimited ride metrocards have greatly lowered the actual price paid for transit whether it be subway or buses since 1997. Before July 4, 1997, if you took a subway and transferred to a bus, it cost you two fares. Between 1962 and 1975, you could not even transfer from bus to bus in most of Manhattan and the Bronx for free and had to pay two full fares. Look how far we have come already, it is really a fare deal.
dream on just like the price of eggs will come down the stae runs the MTA not the Mayor
The NYC Mayor has some influence in the decisions of the MTA.
As much as I find Mamdani questionable (lack of experience, rhetoric that is highly unlikely to turn into workable policy, etc.), I think it’s actually a good idea for the Dems to start coalescing around him, not least to shut Cuomo down even further. It doesn’t mean they have to agree with all of Mamdani’s policies; but the Dems need to start showing some cohesion, even if, at this moment, in this race, that cohesion is behind policies that are even “radically progressive” for THEM. Good move on their part. For now.
I SOOOO hope he gets elected! He’s exactly the type of mayor NYC deserves. Let’s please start early voting right now.
Why vote just overthrow adams with a coup and crown hin as our new dictator.
Sheesh, this is the sort of hysteria I’m talking about… there was a primary and there will be a general election….
Higher Income
Mamdani
42.5%
Cuomo
29.3%
Middle Income
Mamdani
47.0%
Cuomo
37.3%
Lower Income
Mamdani
37.3%
Cuomo
50.1%
Asian
Mamdani
51.5%
Cuomo
36.1%
Hispanic
Mamdani
47.4%
Cuomo
41.5%
White
Mamdani
39.4%
Cuomo
34.2%
Black
Mamdani
33.3%
Cuomo
51.5%
I am a probability theorist.
This is what I do…
Please provide sourcing for these numbers.
I am a probability theorist.
This is what I do…
So you made them up completely.
Perhaps the lower income people who he pledged to help voted against him because they understand that this is said all the time and it never really happens?
While his newer approach to saying it appealed to those who want to help and, somehow, never do?
The fact is that he will not have the power to effectuate his major proposals. Because they’re all dependent on state law and state legislative and gubernatorial actions.
Is there a breakdown by gender?
The Wall Street Journal had an interesting opinion piece today titled “Mamdani Is as Extreme as Trump”. URL below:
ttps://www.wsj.com/opinion/mamdani-is-as-extreme-as-trump-democratic-socialists-of-america-b16c3b4e?mod=hp_opin_pos_4
It educates about Democratic Socialism and provides a greater context for Mamdani’s views. I think it is an important read.
That article does a neat little trick where it quotes the DSA platform from 2021 (which sources tell me was 4 years ago) and pretends that’s what ZM’s governing agenda is here in 2025.
Oh come on, no one takes the WSJ Opinion page seriously. The dreck published there is no better than the alarmist trash vomited from the NY Post. At this point I’m rooting for Mamdani for the sole reason that his very existence brings out the most unhinged reactions (with a very generous helping of racism and bigotry) and hair-on-fire screeds about (ooga booga) sOcIaLiSm…
Surely written by someone who reads and enjoys the NYT opinion pages… I guess all this is highly subjective.
It was written by Bill Daley, the former chief of staff for Obama.
But you’d know that if you looked at it, instead of just dismissing it because it’s in the scary newspaper.
We have to get past this place where people are proudly, gleefully uninformed of facts and opinions that they don’t like.
Bill Daly like many of Obama’s Cabinet were Corporate backed Democrats. They think taxing the richest people too much will cause them to stop being productive enough to generate adequate wealth for society. That’s basically “trickle down” economics or “Reaganomics” light. Governor Hochul agrees with that. She’s been the main reason the NY legislature hasn’t RAISED taxes more on the rich already. So, Mamdani’s proposals could be more feasible IF Democrats like Hochul would stop catering to her rich campaign donors.
HA! The WSJ has zero credibility. ZERO!!!
Why?
Keep in mind that is an Opinion article
The Democratic Socialist of America party (DSA) has literally endorsed what Hamas did on Oct. 7. Look it up. I’m not joking.
NOT TRUE. A quick Google search shows that ONLY some chapters did. Yes, I agree that could be considered bad enough. Yet, it’s important not to generalize and condemn individuals for everything other groups that they’re affiliated with do or say. There are articles online explaining some of the internal conflict over some of the positions taken by the DSA on the October 7th attacks from Hamas.
Clearly Mamdani has expressed his opposition to bigotry and needless suffering for ALL people. Unfortunately, many supporters of Israel 🇮🇱 have no problem with the IDF indiscriminately killing Palestinians 🇵🇸 or Lebanonese as long as Israel 🇮🇱 says it’s only targeting terrorists.
That is HILARIOUS. Wanting people to prosper – which really means just having food and a roof over their head – is not extreme. It’s common sense and humane. We have drifted so far away from humane ideals, and this type of article shows that. NYC exists for the RICH currently, and Mamdani, a moderate in ANY other context other than the US, simply wants to make it affordable again for everyone.
Your dreams are beautiful and move me. I unfortunately have to live in the real world, work 15 hours a day in order to grow my business, make money and feed my family (to “prosper” as you say) but I wish you the best living in your fantasy world full of ideals, unicorns, kittens and puppies.
Go read a 1975 Eastern Block newspaper. The words “democracy,” “prosperity”, “humanism,” “the people’s will” are literally in every sentence. The focus and overhype of the construction, industrialization and farming successes and “plan overachievements” – in every other article.
And every educated person knows what was happening behind closed doors in the meanwhile – or how that nonsense ended.
There are no moderate commies (“socialists”) once they come to power.
Kapo’s everywhere
Right. So this is not just anti-Jewish, but straight up bigoted.
Mamdani is opposed to ISRAEL’S GENOCIDE (IDF soldiers have been free-firing on people begging for food in Gaza, under orders (https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-27/ty-article-magazine/.premium/idf-soldiers-ordered-to-shoot-deliberately-at-unarmed-gazans-waiting-for-humanitarian-aid/00000197-ad8e-de01-a39f-ffbe33780000)
Not JUDAISM.
At this point, if you’re terrified by the thought of a public official opposing crimes against humanity, you’re telling on yourself
Oh boy, glad I have a good seat for this. Pity I am away till September.
Me too, until after Columbus Day, good reading material this summer on the lake.
We are doomed.
Ridiculous. I’m Jewish and proud to have voted for Mamdani. I did put Lander first and did not rank Cuomo. He had his chance.
Sounds like “you’re” doomed?
People who say that Mamdani’s policies will not succeed in making NYC housing more affordable don’t understand economics. As jobs and residents leave, the demand for housing shrinks. Lower demand coupled with an inelastic supply of housing will result in lower prices for those who choose to stay. Housing was much much cheaper in the 1970s for this same reason.
As a homeowner, I hope that the fact that no one will want to build housing (since he will freeze stabilized rents and raise property taxes at the same time) will counteract no one wanting to live here anymore. Equilibrium!
Yes, this is true, and to this day housing in Flint Michigan is also cheaper than in New York. I say lets make New York the new Flint! Who cares about rich people, businesses and jobs, who needs all this? The poor people will remain happy and vindicated.
I agree with your logic – the “problem” is that NYC is such a desirable place to live that when people who can’t afford to live here anymore move out, their places are taken by people who can afford to live here. So the cost of housing never drops. That dynamic will continue as long as people love this city.
It’s also a statewide issue. NY FOCUS has some good articles about this. Check out the article “The Rent Is Too Damn High. Blame the Suburbs.” from October 2022. There’s more on the NY housing issue on the news site too.
But of course he did….the dissolution of NYC is upon us
Sounds like you have Mamdani Derangement Syndrome
And thus begins the suicide of the Democrat party nationally.
Good for Congressman Nadler! A bit surprised, especially in light of the faintheartedness exhibited, as usual, by the likes of Gillibrand, Hochul, Jeffries, etc.
I hope that Brad and Jerry will immediately start pressuring Chuck, Kristen, and the rest of the Democratic so-called leadership to do the same. To do it enthusiastically. And to do it persistently until Election Day. The alternatives to Mamdani are too dismal to contemplate.
Good luck with this.
Mamdani’s stance on jails is worrying. He thinks the four new jails being built to replace Rikers are big enough at just over 4200 total capacity, and that he’ll solve any over-capacity problems by keeping people out of jail. That’s a very ideological approach that ignores all the real life data and will put the city in a bad place. We just had the best 6 month period ever for murders and shootings and the jail population is well over 4200 right now, closer to 7000.
Really if I believed he’d be good on public safety I might consider voting for him. But he’s far from there.
From the Web.
Therefore, while his Ugandan background is part of his identity and influences his political messaging, there is no publicly available information indicating he is currently providing financial assistance to Uganda.
His bio says he and his wife founded the foundation but the website says Dr. Sudhir Ruparelia and Mrs. Jyotsna Ruparelia established Ruparelia Foundation in 2012 with a vision to create a positive and transformative change in the community
There isn’t specific information available that Zohran Mamdani is actively sending money or aid to Uganda, his country of birth. His focus appears to be on his political career in New York City, where he is the presumptive Democratic nominee for mayor.
His hometown Kampala is unbelievably polluted city with garbage piled up all over, people living in mud houses with no clean water. Now he and his family want to clean up NYC.
He bought land in Jinja (Lake Victoria front? AI does not say) where Gandhi and Speke have small memorials.
Your post appears to blame Mamdani for the environmental and living conditions in Uganda, a country he left when he was 5 years old.
All these guys seem so excited to start spending other peoples money…
Sometimes the Upper East Side feels so much more normal, realistic and pragmatic than our neighborhood… Is anyone around here not a radical leftist?
I will be voting for Sliwa. He cares about the city and can get the job done. “So what” if he is running on the Republican ticket.
Who cares that he staged his own kidnapping and faked crimes for publicity? Totally an upgrade from Adams!
Great! Thats why I voted for him.
The easiest way to boil a frog is slowly. Does anyone else find this alarming? Are you all really going to keep voting “Democrat” when this is Socialism in essence? Trump Derangement Syndrome is real. Mamdani is a socialist. When in history has socialism worked?
Social democracy is not the same as socialism. The Nordic countries seem to be doing just fine.
That is because they dont have mass imigration and free loaders!
Look at San Francisco where I used to live. It got awful swiftly.
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a political organization in the United States and the country’s largest socialist organization. Sitting on the left-wing to far-left of the political spectrum, DSA is a big tent coalition that includes democratic socialists, eco-socialists, revolutionary socialists, and libertarian socialists.
Sounds like you have Mamdani Derangement Syndrome , please get that checked out
For decades now the conservative crowd loved anything that would anger liberals…anything so they could “own the libs.” Now “the libs” have their version of this with Zohran Mamdani. He seems to embody everything conservatives hate which gives liberals the chance to flip the script. Own the cons?
Actually if he is elected he will only help Trump and be a great foil for him to play off against as we watch ZM policies San Francisco-ize NYC
Did everyone forget how great our city WAS under Giuliani and Bloomberg?? What is wrong with you people backing this kid with zero experience and let us not forget Oct 7 comments?? Wake up
Was anybody who is in any way like Giuliani or Bloomberg on the ballot, Democratic or Republican? You can’t vote for people who aren’t running.
I see that all right-wing Republicans are outright “Bigots” and “Racist” and this will pave the way for…THE PEOPLE FOR MAMDANI !
The next Mayor of New York City 🙏
The kid knows nothing about NYC.
Lauding support toward a man who has never had a problem with jihadism and who has clearly stated that he supports “globalizing the intifada” is an indelible dark stain on New York Democratic Politics. That Democrats, especially Jewish citizens of NYC, would sell their souls to perpetually “Fight Washington” (ie, publicly exorcise their hatred of Donald Trump) is beyond reason.
Mamdani called October 7th an “act of resistance”. That’s all you need to know.
He’s running for mayor of New York City. Not Tel Aviv
Look at his record on Israel
Great, we live in the United States of America last time I checked.
Dont forget he wants to increase property taxs in the white parts of town. This is the only tax he can increase without state approval. So the 14,000 a year tax on my one bedroom aratment will probaly go to 20,000 to pay for all his free stuff. Rents will have to sky rocket to cover the tax increases on co-ops and condos. I am middle class so what happened to only taxing the rich?
Maybe Mamdani considers you as rich.
Yahoo News says “A housing policy document posted to Mamdani’s official website states that if he were elected, his administration would ‘shift the tax burden from overtaxed homeowners in the outer boroughs to more expensive homes in richer and whiter neighborhoods’.”
He’s been flying under the radar for a lot of ppl—I’d expect a more thorough national vetting to begin soon—driving up his negatives shouldn’t be too hard since his positions won’t stand up to adult scrutiny—but if he is elected don’t say ppl didn’t try to warn u lol