Hochul declines to endorse Mamdani, mispronounces his name

In the second and final Democratic New York City mayoral primary debate, Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani directly called out former Gov. Andrew Cuomo for consistently mispronouncing his name. “The name is Mamdani. M-A-M-D-A-N-I,” he said. “You should learn how to say it because we gotta get it right.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul may need to hear that message, too. In her first spoken public comments since Mamdani declared victory in the primary and became the presumptive Democratic nominee for mayor of New York, the governor said Mamdani’s name twice, mispronouncing it both times. Like Cuomo, Hochul called him “Mandami,” switching the “n” in his name with the second “m.”

At an unrelated event at LaGuardia Airport in Queens on Thursday, Hochul opined on Mamdani’s focus on affordability issues and the matter of state funding for his plans. “As an Assembly member, Mr. Mandami knows that the state Legislature and the governor have enormous say over decisions like that,” Hochul said, saying his name wrong. Later in her remarks to reporters, the governor called him “Assembly Member Mandami.” Reporters who used his name in their questions to Hochul said Mamdani’s name correctly each time.

Hochul is hardly the first person to say Mamdani’s name wrong – he wouldn’t have needed to correct Cuomo otherwise. But in addition to being governor, she is also the head of the state Democratic Party in New York, and Mamdani is set to top the Democratic ticket in New York City in November. In an odd-year election, his primary victory means that he will be the highest profile Democrat to appear on the ballot later this year in New York. With Mamdani – a socialist who would be New York City’s first South Asian and first Muslim mayor – as the Democratic nominee for mayor of the largest city in the nation, the already nationally watched race has become exponentially more consequential. 

Hochul declined to endorse Mamdani when asked about his primary night victory to secure the Democratic line in the November race for mayor. “Obviously, there's areas of difference in our positions, but I also think we need to have those conversations,” Hochul said. “But in the meantime, I truly am not focused on the politics.” In the past, she has proudly touted her position as head of the state Democratic Party and the ways that she has helped Democrats get elected up and down the ballot. Hochul has spoken often about her efforts to rebuild the nascent party apparatus to do just that to win seats in Congress and assist local candidates.

This time, though, the governor seemed to suggest that she would take a hands off approach to the race, which will see Mamdani compete against at least three other candidates. “We're six months away from Inauguration Day, and that will determine who I'm working with for the next four years,” Hochul said. She denied that her lack of endorsement right now means that she is questioning the will of Democratic voters in the city. “I want to find out positions on specific issues,” Hochul said. “But in the meantime, I'm working closely with Mayor Eric Adams, who is the mayor.”

Adams on Thursday also launched his independent reelection campaign, which will see him running against Mamdani in November. He dropped out of the Democratic primary in favor of independently petitioning to get onto the ballot. Hochul declined to comment on that decision at the time despite repeated questions about Adams’ decision to abandon the party she leads.

Spokespeople for Hochul and Mamdani did not return requests for comment.