Several prominent progressive figures, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, appeared at a high-energy rally in Queens to bolster mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani as early voting kicked off across New York City. The event drew thousands of supporters to Forest Hills Stadium, where Mamdani and his allies framed the campaign as a grassroots surge aimed at unseating entrenched interests and transforming city leadership.
The early-voting roll-out arrives amid a contentious race that pits Mamdani’s democratic-socialist platform—centred on rent control, free public transit, and universal childcare—against more moderate and conservative challengers. With high-profile endorsements now in his corner and deep mobilization underway, Mamdani’s team is betting that energized progressive turnout will carry him to victory.