Hochul argues Zohran Mamdani would be best candidate to stand up to Trump as she defends shock endorsement in NYC mayoral race

She’s standing by her Mam.Gov.Kathy Hochul defended her shocking endorsement of Zohran Mamdani, arguing Tuesday the socialist mayoral contender is the best candidate to fight Donald Trump.New York City’s next mayor needs to “stand up” against Trump’s desire to lord over City Hall — and Mamdani fit that bill best out of the crowded mayoral field, Hochul argued during an unrelated event in a Hell’s Kitchen pharmacy.“I could not have been crystal clearer,” she said, not very clearly.“I need a mayor who understands that.”Hochul’s bombshell backing of Mamdani on Sunday came after months of holding the Democratic nominee at arm’s length, and seemingly came with little-to-no concessions from the firebrand for the governor.Her New York Times op-ed announcing the endorsement praised Mamdani’s commitment to affordability, but otherwise offered few specific reasons for her support — among them his commitment to fighting Trump.Mamdani’s electoral rivals — Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov.

Andrew Cuomo — have respectively been accused of being in Trump’s pocket or underhandedly coordinating with the president.“Mr.Mamdani and I will both be fearless in confronting the president’s extreme agenda — with urgency, conviction and the defiance that defines New York,” she wrote, again without providing details....