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Just over a week before the NYC mayor's race on November 4, approximately thirteen thousand attendees gathered at Forest Hills stadium for the “NYC Not For Sale” rally, headlined by representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, senator Bernie Sanders and the mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani.

The iconic open-air venue was filled to capacity. New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds assembled, but it was the younger generation that seemed to bring the excitement.

Many characterized the event as not merely a political event. It was a occasion of unity, discontent and optimism all at once. For Hayley Miller, 23, of Queens, the motivation to attend was simple: “I’m here because the government sucks, 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 vibe of the event reflected something he hasn’t felt in local politics 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 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 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. Longtime residents, newcomers, working youth and older adults all were in attendance. For an attendee, 68, from Astoria, it was his initial campaign event of the election season. “I’m here because, well, I want to hear what they have to say, and there’s no other strong contenders, in my opinion,” he said.

Key Issues and Voter Concerns

For the Astoria resident, the primary concerns facing NYC right now are “public security, the subway safety, and affordability”, adding that while he’s doubtful about whether Mamdani can deliver on all his promises, he’s receptive. “I don’t know who’s going to pay for all this stuff he wants done … but I’m going in without prejudice, and just hoping somebody is offering some alternatives.”

Another attendee, 30, also from the neighborhood, said their top priorities were protecting LGBTQ rights and addressing the city’s affordability crisis. “I think the assemblyman is doing a great job of focusing on everything I’m concerned about,” they said.

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

Campaign Messages and Highlights

Mamdani had a clear message he was aiming to get across at the rally; diversity is NYC’s biggest strength. At one point, he had a rabbi, a reverend, and an imam all on stage together in backing his bid. Brad Lander, a former candidate in this election, also came out to support Mamdani.

Sanders received the loudest applause of the evening, tied with only the mayoral candidate. Sanders spoke of the importance of voting for Mamdani to the position of mayor not only for the sake of making the city more affordable, but also as a means to send a message to the former president and the billionaires he has in his orbit.

“Everyday citizens get one vote,” he said. “Meanwhile, billionaires get the opportunity to invest unlimited funds to elect the politicians they want. That is the context in which this election is taking place.”

New York governor the governor was the only presenter met with divided reactions, with the crowd frequently breaking into chants to enthusiastically shout “Tax the rich!” The candidate came out at the end of her speech to, quite literally, hold her hand, as if to demonstrate the supporters the value 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 Mamdani himself to speak, the audience had been more than sufficiently hyped. As with the recent candidates' forum days earlier, he did not hold back at criticizing Andrew Cuomo.

“Let our words ring so loud that Cuomo can hear them tonight in his $8,000-a-month apartment,” the Democratic candidate 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 supported him for the past several months and contributed to 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 bright phone lights, innumerable.

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