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Just over a seven days before New York City’s mayoral election on 4 November, approximately 13,000 supporters filled Forest Hills stadium for the “NYC Not For Sale” event, headlined by representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Sanders and the Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

The historic open-air venue was filled to capacity. City residents of diverse ages and origins came together, but it was the youthful attendees that seemed to energize the event.

Many described the event as not merely a political event. It was a moment of togetherness, discontent and optimism all at once. For Hayley Miller, 23, of Queens, the motivation to attend was straightforward: “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 New York City is definitely the starting point.”

Audience Enthusiasm and Views

For a local resident, 29, who lives in the neighborhood, the energy of the event signaled something he hasn’t felt in city elections in a while. “It’s exciting 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 engaged now, then when is the time?”

Another local, a supporter, 29, shared a comparable excitement: “I think it’s exciting 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 diversity of the audience reflected the city itself. established New Yorkers, recent arrivals, working youth and retirees all were in attendance. For an attendee, 68, from Queens, it was his first rally of the campaign. “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 “safety, the subway safety, and affordability”, adding that while he’s skeptical 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 wishing somebody is proposing some options.”

Brooklyn, 30, also from the neighborhood, said their top priorities were defending LGBTQ+ equality and addressing the city’s housing and cost issues. “I think the assemblyman is doing a great job of addressing everything I’m worried by,” they said.

Nicole, 30, echoed that sentiment, praising Mamdani’s authenticity: “I feel like he is very sincere in his answers in a way that isn’t typically seen in most elected officials. He’s a little less lip service-y than usual.”

Rally Speeches and Moments

The candidate had a distinct theme he was aiming to get across at the rally; diversity is NYC’s greatest asset. At one point, he had a rabbi, a Christian minister, and an imam 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, matched by only the mayoral candidate. Sanders spoke of the significance of electing Mamdani to the role 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 billionaires he has in his orbit.

“Everyday citizens get a single ballot,” Sanders said. “Meanwhile, billionaires get the opportunity to spend as much as they want to choose the candidates they want. That is the context in which this election is taking place.”

New York governor Kathy Hochul was the only speaker 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 show the supporters the value 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 calling out for her.

When it came time for the candidate to take the stage, the audience had been more than sufficiently hyped. As with the recent candidates' forum 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 mayoral hopeful 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 expressing gratitude to 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 anyone in the crowd who had helped out and canvassed for his campaign to activate their phone flashes. The crowd immediately lit up in a sea of bright phone lights, too many to count.

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