Zohran Mamdani joins Bernie Sanders for a New York City leg of the "Challenging the Powerful Few" tour

In the bustling city of New York, the Labour Day weekend was filled with political activity as the city's mayoral candidates took to the streets and stages for the annual Labour Day Parade and a town hall event.

During the parade, all four candidates - Eric Adams, Curtis Sliwa, Andrew Cuomo, and Zohran Mamdani - took swipes at each other, engaging in a lively exchange of words. Adams, who claimed to be the only candidate in the race with a union background, criticised his opponents for their lack of connection with working-class New Yorkers. Sliwa, on the other hand, argued that he was the people's candidate, while Cuomo accused Mamdani of being a "stooge for Trump" and criticised him for refusing to participate in unofficial debates during the parade. Mamdani countered by stating that they needed to beat Cuomo "one more time."

Meanwhile, at Brooklyn College's Claire Tow Theater, a town hall event co-hosted by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani attracted a crowd of 1,800 people. Sanders and Mamdani received a standing ovation from the crowd, and Mamdani fielded questions on topics such as immigration, rising cost of child care, and affordability.

Interestingly, the town hall event was not part of Sanders' "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, which took place earlier in the day. The Labour Day Parade was also not part of this tour, despite initial confusion. Mamdani was not present at the unofficial debates during the parade, but Sliwa stated that some of Adams' supporters were jumping ship and joining his campaign.

As the race heats up, Adams has doubled down on his commitment to staying in the race and connecting with working-class New Yorkers. The crowd at the town hall event completed a sentence for Mamdani, shouting "Rent!" in response to a question, demonstrating the candidate's strong connection with the city's residents. The mayoral race is expected to be a close one, with the primary election taking place on June 28th.

Zohran Mamdani joins Bernie Sanders for a New York City leg of the "Challenging the Powerful Few" tour