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Just over a seven days before the NYC mayor's race on November 4, approximately 13,000 attendees gathered at the Queens stadium for the “NYC Not For Sale” rally, headlined by Congresswoman AOC, 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 animate the atmosphere.

Many described the rally as more than just a rally. It was a moment of togetherness, discontent and hope all at once. For Hayley Miller, 23, of Queens, the reason 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 NYC is definitely the starting point.”

Audience Enthusiasm and Views

For a local resident, 29, who lives nearby in Forest Hills, the vibe of the event signaled something he hasn’t felt in city elections in a while. “It’s thrilling 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 involved now, then when is the time?”

Another local, a supporter, 29, shared a similar enthusiasm: “I think it’s inspiring to be a part of this movement. 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 variety of the crowd reflected the city itself. established New Yorkers, newcomers, young professionals and retirees all were in attendance. For Mitch, 68, from Queens, it was his first rally 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 the Astoria resident, the key issues facing NYC right now are “public security, the trains being safe, and affordability”, adding that while he’s skeptical about whether Mamdani 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 Astoria, said their main concerns were protecting LGBTQ rights and addressing the city’s housing and cost issues. “I think Mamdani is doing a excellent work of focusing on everything I’m worried by,” they said.

Nicole, 30, expressed similar views, commending Mamdani’s authenticity: “I feel like he is very genuine in his answers 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 distinct theme he was aiming to communicate at the rally; diversity is NYC’s biggest strength. At one point, he had a Jewish leader, 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 support Mamdani.

Sanders received the biggest cheers of the evening, tied with only Mamdani himself. 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 wealthy elites he has in his circle.

“Ordinary people get a single ballot,” Sanders said. “Meanwhile, the ultra-rich get the chance to invest unlimited funds to choose the candidates they want. That is the backdrop in which this election is occurring.”

The state's leader Kathy Hochul was the only presenter met with divided reactions, with the audience frequently breaking into chants to enthusiastically chant “Tax the rich!” The candidate came out at the end of her speech to, quite literally, stand with her, as if to demonstrate the audience the importance of her appearance 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 crowd had been more than sufficiently hyped. As with the mayoral debate days earlier, he did not hold back 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 powerful that he can hear them even if he’s in the suburbs tonight.”

But he did not dwell too long on Cuomo, instead dedicating the latter half of his speech to thanking the coalition who had backed his campaign 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 volunteered and gone door-to-door 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 final remarks.