Scary, scandalous New York political Halloween costume ideas

If you thought last year’s news cycle inspired plenty of good New York politics-related Halloween costumes, allow me to introduce you to 2025. We had indictments, dropped indictments, the lieutenant governor challenging the governor, more resignations, a late state budget and an absolutely stunning Democratic primary election upset in New York City. All that chaos and everything in between gave us a lot to work with as we brainstormed costumes for this year’s spooky season.

Frankie Focus

From the moment Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced the Empire State to Frankie Focus, the mascot for her bell-to-bell cellphone ban in schools, we knew this had to be on this list. Why wouldn’t you want to dress up as a big green fuzzy dude with glasses? Then Jimmy Kimmel presented us with a potential spin on this look: Matt Damon as Frankie Focus.

Herr’s sour cream and onion chip bag

This costume brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “trick or treat.” An homage to arguably the most bizarre moment in New York politics so far this year, this costume is admittedly an elaborate to execute, since most of the work would go into creating a bespoke Herr’s chip bag outfit. Carrying a red envelope would be a nice touch.

Zohran Mamdani stars in “Burritogate”

A costume version of 2025’s rising star in New York politics seemed obligatory for this list. In an homage to New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani’s infamous “burritogate,” when he ate a burrito on the subway, this costume can go a couple directions. The simple version is wearing a suit and carrying a plush burrito in a takeout container. Taking it up a notch, you could become the subway burrito by wrapping yourself in a tortilla blanket and have your shirt and pants represent the filling.

Ingrid Lewis-Martin in “Godfather of Harlem”

The former chief adviser to Eric Adams quite frankly looked absolutely fabulous in her cameo in “Godfather of Harlem,” even though her appearance on the show was, as alleged in an indictment, a perk of a bribery scheme with the Argento siblings of Broadway Stages. With this costume, you could look just as fabulous.

Brad Lander eating a hot dog on the Cyclone

A real New York costume for a real New Yorker (let’s pretend he’s not from St. Louis)! Grab a fake hot dog, a suit and a tie (and maybe a Brooklyn Cyclones cap for good measure), then make your own little roller coaster and you’re set!

“Andrew Cuomo is a snake and a liar”

With his history, Andrew Cuomo isn’t normally the type of person we’d make the subject of a couple’s costume, but for this tribute to New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ description of the former governor, we’ll make an exception. One person in the costume dresses up like a snake and the other dons a Pinocchio nose (or maybe even the full wooden boy look, should you feel so inclined) and voilá! You’re a punchline!