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Just over a week before the NYC mayor's race on November 4, approximately thirteen thousand attendees poured into the Queens stadium for the “NYC Not For Sale” gathering, 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 diverse ages and origins came together, but it was the younger generation that seemed to animate the atmosphere.

Many characterized the rally as a significant moment. It was a occasion of togetherness, discontent and hope all at once. For one attendee, 23, of Queens, the motivation to attend was simple: “I’m here because the system is broken, to be honest with you … and I feel like we should bring about reform as a country, and New York City is definitely the starting point.”

Crowd Energy and Sentiment

For a local resident, 29, who lives in the neighborhood, the energy of the event signaled something he hasn’t felt in local politics in a while. “It’s exciting that someone who actually might make a difference is showing up in an area that I’m in,” he said. “If it’s here, it’s like, why not? If we’re not gonna be engaged now, then when is the time?”

Another local, Emily, 29, shared a similar enthusiasm: “I think it’s inspiring to be a part of this energy. We even went out to vote earlier today because we were preparing to be psyched for everything that he’s for.”

The diversity of the audience mirrored the city itself. Longtime residents, newcomers, working youth and retirees all were present. For Mitch, 68, from Astoria, it was his initial campaign event of the election season. “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 “public security, the trains being safe, and cost of living”, adding that while he’s skeptical about whether the candidate can deliver on all his promises, he’s receptive. “I don’t know who’s going to fund all this stuff he wants done … but I’m going in without prejudice, and just hoping somebody is offering some options.”

Another attendee, 30, also from the neighborhood, said their main concerns were protecting LGBTQ rights and tackling the city’s affordability crisis. “I think the assemblyman is doing a excellent work of focusing on everything I’m worried by,” they said.

Nicole, 30, echoed that sentiment, praising Mamdani’s authenticity: “I feel like he is very sincere in his responses in a way that isn’t common in most politicians. He’s a little less lip service-y than usual.”

Rally Speeches and Moments

The candidate had a clear message he was aiming to communicate at the rally; inclusion is NYC’s biggest strength. At one point, he had a Jewish leader, a reverend, and an Muslim cleric all on stage together in backing his campaign. Brad Lander, a past contender in this election, also came out to support Mamdani.

Sanders received the biggest cheers of the evening, tied with only the mayoral candidate. Sanders spoke of the significance of electing Mamdani to the position of mayor not only for the sake of making the city more affordable, but also as a means to make a statement to Trump and the billionaires he has in his orbit.

“Ordinary people get a single ballot,” he said. “Meanwhile, the ultra-rich get the opportunity to invest unlimited funds to elect the candidates they want. That is the context in which this election is taking place.”

New York governor the governor was the only presenter met with mixed responses, with the audience frequently interrupting her speech to enthusiastically shout “Increase taxes on the wealthy!” Mamdani came out at the end of her speech to, quite literally, hold her hand, as if to demonstrate the audience the importance of her presence and backing.

It was a stark difference to representative Ocasio-Cortez, who spoke just after Hochul and was met with the audience chanting her name.

When it came time for the candidate to take the stage, the audience had been more than sufficiently hyped. As with the recent candidates' forum days earlier, he did not hesitate at criticizing the former governor.

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

But Mamdani did not focus excessively on Cuomo, instead dedicating the latter half of his speech to thanking the coalition who had supported him for the past several months and helped with his record-breaking campaign.

Perhaps the most memorable moment came towards the end, when he asked attendees who had helped out and gone door-to-door for his campaign to activate their phone flashes. The crowd immediately illuminated in a sea of glowing screens, innumerable.

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