Socialists Move to Pressure Hochul Just Hours After Landslide Re-Election Victory

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul had barely secured a decisive re-election victory Tuesday night before the Democratic Socialists of America and other progressive organizations began demanding that she embrace higher taxes on wealthy residents, setting up a potentially contentious battle over the direction of state government during her second full term.

Hochul defeated Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman by approximately 20 percentage points, a dramatic improvement over her narrow six-point victory against Lee Zeldin in 2022. But the landslide immediately emboldened the Democratic Party’s socialist wing, which is demanding tax increases, expanded government-funded childcare, higher minimum wages, and additional social programs.

The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, which elected a record number of members to the state Legislature, is preparing to press Hochul to adopt its economic agenda when lawmakers return to Albany.

“I’m hopeful that Hochul has seen the energy, the excitement that can come from the masses of people who want and deserve a better government, and she takes those lessons and brings them to Albany, and is braver than she has been in past years in terms of standing up for working class New Yorkers,” NYC-DSA co-chair Grace Mauser told The City Reporter on Wednesday.

The Working Families Party, which supported Hochul’s candidacy, is also demanding substantial changes to state tax policy. Jasmine Gripper, the organization’s co-executive director, indicated that the group intends to make higher taxes on wealthy New Yorkers a central demand during the upcoming budget negotiations.

“We will only accept a budget that is equitable and taxes the ultra-rich so that working families can thrive and children have what they need,” Gripper said.

Although Hochul appeared on the Working Families Party ballot line, the NYC-DSA refused to endorse her, accusing the governor of maintaining close relationships with wealthy donors while resisting progressive tax proposals. The organization also criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, after he endorsed Hochul in February.

The DSA accused Hochul of siding “with her billionaire donors while offering working class New Yorkers crumbs.”

Mamdani nevertheless campaigned alongside Hochul during the closing weeks of the election, urging his supporters to back her and praising the governor for becoming more receptive to progressive policies.

At the Democrats’ election-night gathering, Mamdani declared that Hochul “has embraced new ideas,” portraying their partnership as evidence that progressive priorities were gaining influence in Albany.

At a separate DSA celebration in Astoria, Queens, activists reportedly began chanting “tax the rich” after Hochul’s victory was announced.

Among those addressing the gathering was newly elected State Senator Aber Kawas, a Mamdani-backed DSA member who became the first Palestinian-American Muslim woman elected to the New York State Legislature.

Kawas told supporters, “we have always understood that people deserve universal healthcare, fast and free buses, and free education.”

“We have always been able to imagine that world. And this year, folks, is the year where we get to get into the fore and build that world together,” she said.

NYC-DSA co-chair Gustavo Gordillo also urged activists to capitalize on Democratic victories nationwide, declaring, “what comes next, it’s up to us, it’s up to all of you … 2028 is ours for the taking.”

Political analysts, however, cautioned against interpreting Hochul’s overwhelming victory as an endorsement of the socialist agenda. Several argued that her success resulted primarily from widespread dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump and Blakeman’s close association with the president.

“Voters turned against the Republican Party,” said pollster Bradley Honan, who noted that Blakeman struggled with limited statewide recognition and was closely identified with Trump among voters who became familiar with him.