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Just over a seven days before the NYC mayor's race on 4 November, approximately thirteen thousand attendees poured into the Queens stadium for the “NYC Not For Sale” rally, headlined by Congresswoman AOC, Senator Sanders and the Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

The iconic open-air venue was filled to capacity. New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds assembled, but it was the Gen Z crowd that seemed to animate the atmosphere.

Many described the gathering as not merely a political event. It was a occasion of togetherness, discontent and optimism all at once. For Hayley Miller, 23, of Briarwood, the motivation to attend was straightforward: “I’m here because the government sucks, to be honest with you … and I feel like we should make a change as a country, and NYC is definitely the place to start.”

Crowd Energy and Sentiment

For Spencer, 29, who lives in the neighborhood, the vibe of the event reflected something he hasn’t felt in city elections in a while. “It’s exciting that someone who actually might change things is appearing in an area that I’m in,” he said. “If it’s here, it’s like, why not? If we’re not gonna be involved now, then when is the time?”

Another Forest Hills resident, a supporter, 29, shared a similar enthusiasm: “I think it’s inspiring to be a part of this energy. We even went out to cast ballots earlier today because we were getting in the mindset to be enthusiastic for everything that he’s for.”

The diversity of the crowd mirrored the city itself. Longtime residents, recent arrivals, working youth and retirees all were in attendance. For an attendee, 68, from Queens, it was his initial campaign event of the campaign. “I’m here because, well, I want to listen to what they have to say, and there’s no other strong contenders, in my opinion,” he said.

Major Topics and Public Priorities

For Mitch, the primary concerns facing NYC right now are “safety, the subway safety, and affordability”, adding that while he’s skeptical about whether the candidate can fulfill all his pledges, he’s open-minded. “I don’t know who’s going to pay for all this stuff he wants done … but I’m going in open-minded, and just wishing somebody is proposing some alternatives.”

Another attendee, 30, also from the neighborhood, said their main concerns were defending LGBTQ+ equality and tackling the city’s affordability crisis. “I think Mamdani is doing a great job of focusing on everything I’m worried by,” they said.

Nicole, 30, expressed similar views, commending Mamdani’s genuineness: “I feel like Mamdani is very sincere in his responses in a way that isn’t typically seen in most politicians. He’s a little less empty rhetoric than usual.”

Campaign Messages and Highlights

The candidate had a clear message he was aiming to communicate at the rally; diversity is NYC’s greatest asset. At one point, he had a Jewish leader, a reverend, and an Muslim cleric all on stage together in backing his campaign. The city’s comptroller, a former candidate in this election, also came out to endorse Mamdani.

The senator received the biggest cheers of the evening, matched by only the mayoral candidate. Sanders spoke of the significance of voting for Mamdani to the role of mayor not only for the sake of making the city more economical, but also as a means to send a message to the former president and the wealthy elites he has in his circle.

“Ordinary people get one vote,” Sanders said. “Meanwhile, the ultra-rich get the chance to invest unlimited funds to choose the politicians they want. That is the context in which this election is occurring.”

New York governor Kathy Hochul was the only presenter met with divided reactions, with the audience frequently breaking into chants to enthusiastically chant “Increase taxes on the wealthy!” Mamdani came out at the end of her speech to, quite literally, hold her hand, as if to show the audience the value of her presence and backing.

It was a stark difference to Congresswoman AOC, who spoke just after Hochul and was met with the audience chanting her name.

When it came time for Mamdani himself to speak, the crowd had been more than sufficiently hyped. As with the recent candidates' forum days earlier, he did not hesitate at taking jabs Andrew Cuomo.

“Let our words ring so loud that he can hear them tonight in his expensive rental,” the mayoral hopeful said. “Let them be so loud that he can hear them even if he’s in the suburbs tonight.”

But Mamdani did not dwell too long on Cuomo, instead dedicating the latter half of his speech to thanking the alliance who had backed his campaign for the past several months and contributed to his record-breaking campaign.

Perhaps the most evocative moment came towards the end, when he asked anyone in the crowd who had volunteered and canvassed for his campaign to activate their phone flashes. The arena immediately lit up in a sea of bright phone lights, too many to count.

“We are just getting started. On 4 November we set ourselves free,” Mamdani said in his closing words.