With the city’s mayoral election racing into the home stretch, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani and Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo both held rallies in Queens to make pitches to voters on a picture-perfect fall Sunday.
Cuomo, a former New York governor, held a “rally to support the Jewish state of Israel” in Kew Gardens, appealing to the neighborhood’s large Jewish community. About 300 people attended the rally, held at the Kew Gardens Hills Library on Vleigh Place.
Cuomo’s message to the crowd was simple — that he stands with the Jewish people of New York and that Mamdani, if elected, will present a threat to Jewish New Yorkers.
“We fundamentally resent the idea that a mayor of New York would be a divisive force. What [Mamdani] has done, the offense he has shown to the Jewish community, he should be ashamed of himself,” Cuomo said to the crowd.
Andrew Cuomo speaks to an audience in Flushing, Queens on Sunday. (Rebecca White / New York Daily News)
Cuomo zeroed in on the Democratic candidate’s youth and comparative lack of experience — a stance he’s taken throughout the race.
“You need a mayor who knows how to make government work and I have done that all my life,” he said, distinguishing himself from Mamdani, “who’s never worked a real job in his life.”
Cuomo also addressed the city’s affordability and housing crises, and reiterated his plan to hire 5,000 more police officers.
“I think he came out very strong for pro-Jewish values. I really appreciate that and respect that,” said rally attendee Hershel Peiser, 23. Peiser, a student at Touro University, said public safety is “easily” his top priority — and that he intends to vote for Cuomo.
“I think he is the best candidate for the city for the Jewish community,” Peiser said.
Attendee Rabbi Gary Moskowitz, 68, also said his number one issue was public safety. “You have a fiduciary responsibility … to protect your citizens,” Moskowitz said. “If you can’t do that, there’s nothing left.”
Moskowitz, a former NYC police officer who once received an award from Cuomo’s father, former governor Mario Cuomo, said he was supporting Cuomo “for two reasons.”
“He has a lot of experience with the government and if he does some bad things, okay. No one’s going to have a perfect record. That’s the first thing,” Moskowitz said. Cuomo resigned from the governorship in 2021 after several women accused him of sexual harassment. He has also received criticism for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Second one, Mamdani’s an absolute danger to the Jewish community,” Moskowitz charged. He expressed dismay at the rally’s low attendance.
People attend a Zohran Mamdani rally at Forest Hills Stadium on Sunday, October 26, 2025. (Julian Roberts-Grmela / New York Daily News)
Meanwhile in Forest Hills at Forest Hills Stadium, a packed venue of about 10,000 people turned out to attend a rally for Mamdani, according to a campaign spokesperson.
Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were expected to speak at the rally.
City comptroller Brad Lander circulated amongst the crowd, stopping to talk to The Daily News in a designated press area. “There’s so much energy out in the streets,” Lander said, “The set of people is hungry to go win this race.”
Lander, who ran for democratic nominee in the primary, has since become anMamdani surrogates.
“New York is not for sale,” Lander said, referencing the rally’s slogan. “There’s so many people excited about who we are here for tonight…and who wanted a different future for the city. Not the sour, selfish, bitter, racist politics of the past that Andrew Cuomo is offering, but hopeful, energetic affordable politics of the future.”
Senator Bernie Sanders (left) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (right) speak at a campaign rally for Zohran Mamdani at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens on Sunday night. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Jesse Sachs, 36, attended the rally after casting his ballot for Mamdani during early voting, which opened Saturday.
“I love the energy here,” he said.
Sachs, who is Jewish, said he felt a responsibility to turn up for Mamdani, whose positions on Israel have come under fire as antisemitic. “I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that… you have a responsibility to be here, to kind of show people that, look, Zohran has a lot of Jewish support.
At 6 p.m. the rallies began to ramp up, as speakers gathered to address the crowds before the candidates spoke.
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