Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined Gov. Kathy Hochul at Astoria sports bar Murphy’s Sunday afternoon to catch part of the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens and reach out to Queens voters two days before Tuesday’s gubernatorial election.

Hochul, a vocal Bills supporter, joined Mamdani at the Bills supporters bar last year ahead of the mayoral election, with Mamdani returning the favor on Sunday by campaigning with the governor on the last day of early voting as she prepares to face off against Republican nominee Bruce Blakeman.

Sunday marked the first time that Ocasio-Cortez has campaigned in person with Hochul during her re-election campaign as progressive lawmakers continue to coalesce around a figure who has so far withstood most efforts to raise taxes on the state’s wealthiest residents.

The trio stayed for the first half of Buffalo’s comprehensive victory over Baltimore on Sunday, speaking to voters while most members of the press were prevented from entering the establishment.

During a short stop prior to entering the bar, Hochul quipped that Buffalo is the only NFL team that plays in New York state. Mamdani, meanwhile, said he would not claim to be a “real” NFL fan but said he was a supporter of Hochul.

Hochul later refused to comment on U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens’ decision to endorse Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers after withdrawing her support for Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed. Stevens, who lost to El-Sayed in the Democratic primary, has received widespread criticism from Democrats over the move, with U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer describing it as a “despicable betrayal.”

Hochul, however, said she was solely focused on her work “right here in New York state.”

“I’m taking this so seriously because what we do here in New York will have an effect on the future of this country,” Hochul said. “Make Hakeem Jeffries the Speaker and all of a sudden you can just put a firewall up and stop the insanity and start taking our country back.”

Pressed by reporters on whether an El-Sayed defeat could prevent Democrats from re-taking the Senate, Hochul once again said she was focused on New York State.

Inside Murphy’s, Ocasio-Cortez offered a more critical opinion, accusing Stevens of attempting to make the Senate race about her. She also said the move was “not worth the distraction.”

“The Constitution is on the line,” Ocasio-Cortez told pool reporters inside Murphy’s. ” In times like this, sometimes there are people who say, “How can I make this about me?” And then there are people who say, “How can I make this about the people?” And Abdul El-Sayed is very clearly the leader that we need in this moment.”

Mamdani also panned the move in a statement on social media later on Sunday, accusing Stevens of betraying working-class people.

“Working-class people’s lives are on the ballot on Tuesday – their healthcare, their rent, their bills. Haley Steves just betrayed them by endorsing the very Republican she said she wanted to run against,” Mamdani said in a post on social media.

Ocasio-Cortez noted that she and Mamdani had put small differences formed an alliance with Hochul, putting “small differences aside” in the interests of party unity.

“This is the example of how we must come together to win. Period,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “The stakes are too high for us to be consumed by the narcissism of small differences.”

Mamdani, meanwhile, said he has not discussed any potential tax increases with Hochul and insisted that his focus is fully on Tuesday’s election. Hochul was drowned out by a chorus of “tax the rich” when she appeared at a Get Out the Vote event for Mamdani at Forest Hills Stadium ahead the 2025 mayoral election but has so far resisted most calls for a wealth tax, only acquiescing with the pied-à-terre tax on luxury second homes.

A tax increase on the state’s wealthiest residents was central to Mamdani’s core campaign issues of free buses and universal childcare, with the pied-à-terre tax only projected to raise $500 million annually – far short of the estimated $7 billion required to fund Mamdani’s campaign promises.

Mamdani, however, told reporters that he is campaigning for Hochul because she is a sincere partner in government.

“I value the governor as a partner. She has been sincere. She has been straightforward. I know that will be the case moving forward, and that’s what this city needs,” Mamdani told reporters at Murphy’s.

On the other hand, Mamdani raised concerns about a potential Blakeman victory, claiming that the Republican candidate would seek to “terminate” any progress City Hall has made in the past 10 months.

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