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

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

Many viewed the gathering as a significant moment. It was a moment of unity, discontent and hope 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 NYC is definitely the place to start.”

Audience Enthusiasm and Views

For a local resident, 29, who lives nearby in Forest Hills, 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 change things 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 right moment?”

Another local, 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 preparing to be psyched for everything that he’s for.”

The variety of the crowd reflected the city itself. established New Yorkers, recent arrivals, young professionals and older adults all were in attendance. For Mitch, 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 trains being safe, and affordability”, adding that while he’s skeptical about whether the candidate can deliver on 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 without prejudice, and just hoping somebody is offering some options.”

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

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

Campaign Messages and Highlights

Mamdani had a clear message he was aiming to communicate at the rally; diversity is NYC’s greatest asset. At one point, he had a Jewish leader, a reverend, and an Muslim cleric all on stage together in backing his campaign. The city’s comptroller, a former candidate 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 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 Trump and the billionaires he has in his orbit.

“Ordinary people get one vote,” he said. “Meanwhile, the ultra-rich get the opportunity to spend as much as they want to choose the candidates they want. That is the context in which this race is occurring.”

New York governor the governor was the only presenter met with mixed responses, 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 big contrast to representative Ocasio-Cortez, who spoke just after the governor and was met with the audience chanting her name.

When it came time for the candidate to speak, the audience had been more than adequately energized. As with the mayoral debate days earlier, he did not hold back at criticizing the former governor.

“Let our message resound that he 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 Mamdani did not dwell too long on his opponent, instead dedicating the latter half of his speech to thanking the coalition who had supported him for the past several months and contributed to his record-breaking 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 arena immediately lit up in a multitude of bright phone lights, innumerable.

“We are just getting started. On November 4 we achieve liberation,” Mamdani said in his closing words.