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Zohran Mamdani attends NYC Pride (June 29, 2025).
In a surprise campaign stop, Mamdani thanked Brooklyn's Papi Juice "for creating a space for queer and trans New Yorkers."
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani surprised patrons at an LGBTQ+ bar over the weekend when he stopped by their Halloween party to campaign.
The Democratic nominee was met with thunderous cheers and applause when he addressed the crowd at Papi Juice around 1 a.m. on Sunday. Speaking from the DJ booth, he thanked the Brooklyn QTPOC art collective "for creating a space for queer and trans New Yorkers."
"In a city where so much is about struggle, it's so important to have a space for joy," Mamdani said.
@laydayallday THATS OUR MAYOR!!!! 3 days people, please go vote if you haven’t!! It will take 5 mins!!! #zohranmamdani #mamdani #papijuice #queertiktok #transrights @Zohran Mamdani
Mamdani then turned the focus to Tuesday's election, asking the crowd, "I want to know, are you ready to win this race? Are you ready to beat Andrew Cuomo? Are you ready to make history?" He was met with even louder applause, as the crowd gave a resounding "Yeah!"
"It is an honor to be the first mayoral candidate to ever be in Papi Juice," Mamdani added. "Thank you so much. I can't wait to see you at the polls on Tuesday."
The 34-year-old self-described Democratic socialist won the party's primary earlier this year, beating out former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in what was described as a political upset due to his grassroots campaign that mobilized young voters. Despite his victory, he has still not received endorsements from top Democrats such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Related: What Zohran Mamdani's mayoral primary win means for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers
Mamdani has run on a platform centered around making life in NYC affordable: free buses, universal childcare, city-owned grocery stores, and a rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments. He has also advocated for human rights, condemning the war in Gaza, the Trump administration's decision to bomb Iran, and the disappearance of Mahmoud Khalil.
Donald Trump has threatened to illegally withhold federal funding from NYC if Mamdani wins. He said in a Sunday interview on CBS' 60 Minutes that "it's gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York, because if you have a Communist running New York, all you're doing is wasting the money you're sending there."
When asked what he thinks of Mamdani, Trump bizarrely (and incorrectly) responded, "Well, I think I'm a much better looking person than him." Of Cuomo, Trump said, "I'm not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it's gonna be between a bad Democrat and a Communist, I'm gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you."
Mamdani poked fun at the interview and Trump's support of Cuomo, who is still running as an Independent, writing in a post online, "Congratulations, @AndrewCuomo. I know how hard you worked for this."
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