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Just over a week before New York City’s mayoral election on 4 November, approximately thirteen thousand attendees gathered at Forest Hills stadium for the “NYC Is Not For Sale” rally, headlined by Congresswoman AOC, Senator Sanders and the mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani.

The historic outdoor stadium was filled to capacity. City residents of diverse ages and origins assembled, but it was the youthful attendees that seemed to animate the atmosphere.

Many viewed the event as not merely a political event. It was a moment of unity, discontent and hope all at once. For Hayley Miller, 23, of Briarwood, the reason to attend was simple: “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 New York City is definitely the place to start.”

Crowd Energy and Sentiment

For Spencer, 29, who lives nearby in Forest Hills, the vibe of the event reflected something he hasn’t felt in city elections in a while. “It’s thrilling that someone who actually might make a difference 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 exciting 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 psyched for everything that he’s for.”

The diversity of the crowd mirrored the city itself. established New Yorkers, recent arrivals, working youth and retirees all were present. For an attendee, 68, from Queens, it was his first rally 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 key issues facing NYC right now are “public security, the subway safety, and cost of living”, adding that while he’s doubtful about whether the candidate can fulfill all his pledges, he’s open-minded. “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 Astoria, said their top priorities 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.

A supporter, 30, expressed similar views, praising Mamdani’s genuineness: “I feel like he is very genuine in his responses in a way that isn’t typically seen in most politicians. He’s a little less lip service-y than usual.”

Campaign Messages and Highlights

The candidate had a distinct theme he was aiming to communicate at the rally; inclusion is NYC’s greatest asset. At one point, he had a rabbi, a reverend, and an imam all on stage together in backing his campaign. Brad Lander, a former candidate in this election, also came out to endorse Mamdani.

Sanders received the biggest cheers of the evening, matched by only Mamdani himself. Sanders spoke of the importance of voting for Mamdani to the position of mayor not only for the sake of making the city more economical, but also as a means to send a message to Trump and the billionaires he has in his orbit.

“Ordinary people get a single ballot,” Sanders said. “Meanwhile, billionaires get the opportunity to invest unlimited funds to elect the candidates they want. That is the context in which this election is occurring.”

New York governor the governor was the only speaker met with mixed responses, with the audience frequently interrupting her speech to enthusiastically shout “Tax the rich!” Mamdani came out at the end of her speech to, quite literally, stand with her, as if to show the supporters the importance of her presence and backing.

It was a stark difference to Congresswoman AOC, who spoke just after the governor 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 mayoral debate days earlier, he did not hesitate at taking jabs Andrew Cuomo.

“Let our message resound that Cuomo can hear them tonight in his expensive rental,” the Democratic candidate said. “Let them be so loud that he can hear them even if he’s in Westchester tonight.”

But he did not dwell too long on Cuomo, instead devoting the second part of his speech to thanking the alliance who had supported him for the past several months and contributed to his historic campaign.

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

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