ALBANY, N.Y.—The governor of New York State, Kathy Hochul, wants to have New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s supporters back her campaign for re-election to the governorship. To that end, she has made public pronouncements of agreement with Mamdani on things like expansion of Day Care and some other matters, but she has resisted his calls for increasing taxes on the rich. Such increases are a must if he is to carry out key planks of his campaign. Taxes on the rich in New York City can only be raised if there is support in Albany.
Rather than just spar in public with Hochul, Mamdani supporters figure there is a better way to put pressure on Albany: So, 26 full busloads of supporters of Mamdani descended on the state capital of Albany in late February to demand New York state let the city impose higher taxes on the rich.
Brandishing a big bedsheet banner reading “Tax The Rich For A New York We Can Afford,” the group demanded higher tax rates on the Big Apple’s wealthiest denizens. The money, they previously said, would initially go to subsidize child care, which can run into mid-five-figures per year in New York.
But taxing the rich at a higher rate could also fund education and other social services, they maintained.
The march on the state Capitol was organized by a new group, Our Time for NYC, created after Mamdani won the mayoralty last November and made up of his campaigners. The Democratic Socialists of America—of whom Mamdani is a member—also helped organize the march, rally, and press conference in Albany.
“Our victory was historic, but our campaign is just beginning,” Our Time NYC says on its website. “We will defend the agenda that resonated with voters: Free child care, fast and free buses, freezing rents, building affordable homes, and more.”
“Billionaires have made their opposition clear,” Our Time added, a clear but veiled reference to the Wall Street moguls who backed Mamdani’s top foe, disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “Our time can be a vehicle for continued engagement” for Mamdani’s goals and against those moguls, it added.
Our Time, an independent group of Mamdani supporters, says it’s nonetheless independent of him. That same scenario unfolded after another socialist, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind-Vt., lost his first Democratic presidential bid to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016. His backers set up Our Revolution, which is still going.
It’s one of a constellation of progressive groups devoted to politics and to dragging the Democratic Party away from the clout of the corporate donors—a goal the AFL-CIO shares. Others include the Justice Democrats, the Socialists, the CPUSA, and Leaders We Deserve.
David Hogg, a survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school massacre in Florida, set Leaders We Deserve up to challenge complacent and pro-corporate incumbent Democrats. As a result, party insiders threw Hogg off the Democratic National Committee.
The Albany marchers came from unions and other groups, including the city’s Civil Service Employees Association and other progressive groups. Organizers had planned for 3,000 marchers, but the weather—the then-threatening massive Northeastern blizzard—kept the crowd counts down to around 1,400. They took up a third of a 4,300-seat auditorium for their post-march press conference and rally.
The weather didn’t dampen their enthusiasm, however. Their main demand was for Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, a moderate-to-liberal political veteran, to get behind Mamdani’s platform, especially on taxing the rich not just to pay for services, but to close the chasm between the wealthy and the rest of us.
“Hopefully, the crowd and the number of people coming out does make a difference, and does sway some opinions—because it is important, ultimately, for the people of New York,” Queens resident Chris Rademacher told The Gothamist.
Like the crowd and Mamdani, most of the speakers were young and serving their first or first few terms in elective office. Organizers invited Sanders, but he couldn’t make it. Mamdani also did not come.
Nevertheless, “the stars of tomorrow are here,” declared Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher, D-Brooklyn, a 41-year-old now serving her second two-year state term.
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