NY Gov. Hochul using Zohran Mamdani as shield from lefty Dems — by banking on his anti-Trump cred, insiders say

She’s chosen her fighter.

Gov. Kathy Hochul is using socialist Zohran Mamdani as a shield to protect herself against a challenge from the left, capitalizing on his anti-President Trump defiance, political insiders said.

The scuttlebutt comes as Hochul on Tuesday defended endorsing Mamdani by arguing he’ll “stand up” to Trump — marking a change of tune for the Democratic governor who has otherwise had a productive relationship with the president.

“She supports Zohran to hide behind a more vocal leader,” said Michael Ceraso, a Democratic political consultant. “Her style doesn’t match a New York City-led resistance.

“Zohran gives Hochul an escape route,” Ceraso said. “She can say she aligned with the progressive movement, but still comes up way short on realizing their policy platforms statewide.”

Sources have said Hochul endorsed Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral race with an eye toward staving off a bruising primary battle next year from her estranged Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who is expected to siphon off far-left voters from the moderate governor.

Mamdani, however, has so far refused to return the favor.

He declined to endorse Hochul on Monday, a day after her bombshell endorsement, and called it premature to speculate on “the thing beyond the thing.”

But experts said Hochul still gains Trump-fighting credibility from hitching her wagon to Mamdani — at least among New York Dems who thoroughly despise the Republican president.

“She is changing her tune because Trump has proven that accommodation isn’t a tenable electoral or governing strategy for Democrats,” said Alyssa Cass, a partner at Slingshot Strategies, a political consulting firm.

“He is coming for blue cities regardless of what those leaders say or signal. And the Democratic electorate is looking for leaders to stand up to him, no ifs, ands, or buts.”

Hochul once cast herself as the leader of the anti-Trump resistance, but behind-the-scenes holds a surprisingly fruitful relationship with the president.

Shortly after Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, the pair began talking about fixing up crumbling Penn Station. 

The dialogue apparently paid off, even as Hochul butted heads with Trump over his attempts to kill New York’s congestion pricing program.

Trump directed the feds to take over the reconstruction of Penn Station, which Hochul cast as a victory. She even floated the idea of renaming the station after Trump to get more federal cash for the project. 

Hochul has also kept the National Guard out of New York — unlike other blue regions — by reassuring Trump crime was decreasing and new local and state policies were working.

Dave Catalfamo, a GOP consultant, said Hochul seems to have gotten a pass from Trump so far because he’s a New Yorker.

“I think it’s less about anything she’s done because I think it’s more about his special relationship to New York,” he said.

State Conservative Party Chairman Jerry Kassar said he wasn’t surprised to see Hochul falling in line with the far-left wing of the Democrats.

But officially backing Mamdani will only make it more difficult to have a good relationship with Trump, Kassar said.

“That relationship, I think, is sour,” he said. “And I do think that Kathy Hochul made a decision based on political expediency, which I believe she was planning for some time.”

— Additional reporting by Haley Brown and Vaughn Golden