A top Zohran Mamdani ally has escalated tensions in New York politics by blasting Democratic governor Kathy Hochul as “evil” and appearing to endorse a post calling her a “genocidal monster.”
Gustavo Gordillo, co-chair of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), played a key role in Mamdani’s upset win in the Democratic mayoral primary. He has since worked with Mamdani’s team on a sweeping left-wing platform branded as “co-governance.”
Gordillo labeled Hochul “our evil governor” in a December 2024 X post and, months earlier, seemingly backed a post calling her a “genocidal monster.” The remarks surfaced as Hochul edges closer to a possible endorsement of Mamdani. “We’ve had some candid conversations about his leadership and where the city could go,” Hochul said in a recent interview.
The DSA co-chair has also targeted other Democrats. Ahead of a 2024 congressional primary, he called Rep. George Latimer a “Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon” and a “segregationist.” Gordillo’s social media activity also includes praise for Marxist figures and even a call for a campaign to “get the US to return the 8 states it stole from Mexico.”
Despite this, Mamdani has maintained a strong lead in November’s polls. Hochul, meanwhile, has avoided addressing Gordillo’s comments directly.
