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Just over a week before New York City’s mayoral election on 4 November, approximately thirteen thousand attendees poured into the Queens stadium for the “NYC Is Not For Sale” gathering, headlined by representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Sanders and the Democratic mayoral candidate assemblyman Mamdani.

The iconic outdoor stadium was completely sold out. New Yorkers of diverse ages and origins came together, but it was the Gen Z crowd that seemed to animate the atmosphere.

Many characterized the event as not merely a political event. It was a occasion of togetherness, frustration and optimism all at once. For Hayley Miller, 23, of Briarwood, 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 make a change as a country, and NYC is definitely the place to start.”

Crowd Energy and Sentiment

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 thrilling 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 time?”

Another local, Emily, 29, shared a comparable excitement: “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, recent arrivals, working youth and retirees all were present. For Mitch, 68, from Queens, it was his initial campaign event 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 subway safety, and affordability”, adding that while he’s skeptical about whether Mamdani can fulfill all his promises, he’s receptive. “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 offering some alternatives.”

Brooklyn, 30, also from Astoria, said their top priorities were defending LGBTQ+ equality and tackling the city’s housing and cost issues. “I think Mamdani is doing a excellent work of focusing on everything I’m concerned about,” they said.

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

Rally Speeches and Moments

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 Christian minister, and an Muslim cleric all on stage together in support of his campaign. The city’s comptroller, a former candidate in this election, also came out to endorse Mamdani.

Sanders received the loudest applause of the evening, tied with 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 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,” he said. “Meanwhile, the ultra-rich get the chance to invest unlimited funds to elect the politicians they want. That is the context in which this race is taking place.”

New York governor Kathy Hochul was the only presenter 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, hold her hand, as if to show the audience the value of her presence and endorsement.

It was a big contrast to representative Ocasio-Cortez, who spoke just after Hochul and was met with the audience calling out for her.

When it came time for Mamdani himself to speak, the audience 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 ring so loud that he 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 his opponent, instead dedicating the second part of his speech to expressing gratitude to the coalition who had supported him for the past several months and helped with his historic campaign.

Perhaps the most evocative moment came towards the end, when he asked attendees who had helped out and gone door-to-door for his campaign to turn on their lights. The arena immediately illuminated in a sea of bright phone lights, innumerable.

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