Michael Goodwin: Cowardly Kathy Hochul kowtowing to Mamdani proves Dems will always put their party ahead of NYC’s well-being

The race to jump off the cliff is on, as top New York Democrats line up like so many lemmings to back Zohran Mamdani.

Spare me the expressions of shock.

It was only a matter of time until they all fell in line.

Being an elected Dem means accepting the rule that thinking for yourself is not allowed.

Following orders in the name of party unity is the price of admission.

The appearance of a wall of resistance against Mamdani because of his radical positions was shattered when Gov. Hochul waved a white flag and backed the antisemitic, cop-hating socialist.

The Post report that Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie will soon do the same puts pressure on other prominent holdouts to join the mob.

Neither Sen. Chuck Schumer nor Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is a profile in courage, so expect their surrender any day now.

No matter how they frame it, the truth is that they will be putting party loyalty over the well-being of New York.

Financial dead end

With a Republican president and Republicans holding both chambers of Congress, backing a socialist is a dead-end idea that will undercut any bids by the city for added federal support.

President Trump has made it clear he wants to help New York, but state leaders keep treating him like an enemy.

As such, they are playing to the nutjobs in their party instead of abiding by their oaths to represent all the people of the city and state.

Hochul’s backing of Mamdani is a prime example.

Her tortured explanations were more pathetic than her usual gibberish, and indicate she didn’t win a single concession from him that would change the impact of his destructive policies if he’s elected.

She previously said she would not support Mamdani’s call for tax increases and his plan to open government supermarkets in each of the five boroughs.

There was no mention of either in her published endorsement.

She explained herself in part by denouncing Trump, and wrote “I needed to know the next mayor will not be someone who would surrender one inch” to the president.

What a strange thing to say.

Bet your bottom dollar that before long, Hochul will be on bended knee in the Oval Office, rattling the tin cup for federal help.

What she lacks in common sense she makes up for in shamelessness.

She defended her endorsement by saying she is confident Mamdani “has the courage, urgency and optimism New York City needs to lead it through the challenges of this moment.”

That makes no sense if she ­really does object to his policies on taxes, police, rent freezes, government stores and a deep hate for Israel.

It is beyond obvious that her motive is purely personal.

First, she faces a possible far-left primary challenge next year from her wayward lieutenant governor, ­Antonio Delgado.

However, I believe Hochul is far more worried about next year’s general election.

She’s essentially betting that Mamdani will be the sitting mayor next fall, will endorse her and use his office to turn out the vote to secure her victory.

The basis for that scenario is that Republicans have not won a statewide race since 2002, when George Pataki won his third term as governor.

Since then, Dems have consistently won statewide races by running up big margins in the city while still losing the vast majority of the state’s 62 counties.

Take the case of then-Rep. Lee Zeldin, Hochul’s GOP opponent in 2022.

He was very focused on the historic pattern, and once told me his only chance of winning was to get close to 35% of the vote in the five boroughs and run up big margins in less populated ­Republican areas.

Zeldin ran a spirited campaign and won most of the counties, including Long Island’s Nassau and Suffolk, but got only 30% of the city vote, and lost the state by five points.

The 30% city vote is something of a ceiling for Republicans these days, with Trump matching it during his 2024 election.

Although the president got nearly 44% in the state overall, Kamala Harris got 70% in the city, which provided enough of a cushion for her to win New York’s 28 electoral votes.

The election of 1984, when ­Ronald Reagan won 49 states, is the last time the Empire State backed a Republican for president.

Hochul’s sagging polls

Hochul’s tax-and-spend habits and weak leadership led to sagging poll numbers for most of the last two years, which raised GOP hopes for 2026.

At least three GOP officials have tested the waters, with upstate Rep. Elise Stefanik now considered the most likely nominee.

Yet a Siena poll released Tuesday brought bad news for Stefanik, with Hochul holding a 25-point margin in a face-off, 52% to 27%.

Although independents ­favored Stefanik last month, Hochul now has their support by 18 points, Siena reports.

The findings underscore how important it is that enough city voters come to their senses and back an alternative to Mamdani this year.

The problem, of course, remains that his three main opponents are dividing the anti-Mamdani vote.

With former Gov. Andrew Cuomo consistently running second, Trump has tried to convince the other two candidates, Mayor ­Adams and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, to drop out.

I have long believed Cuomo would have the best chance at victory in a one-on-one showdown, but with Adams and Sliwa vowing to stay in, Mamdani is on course to capture City Hall.

Heaven help New York.

‘Question’able defense

Soon after President Trump filed a lawsuit charging The New York Times with defamation and libel, the paper’s publisher sent an in-house note to staff members.

In it, A.G. Sulzberger called the suit “frivolous,” said it has “no legal merit” and is “an attempt to punish independent reporting.”

He adds “we are confident in our journalism and confident in the First Amendment protections.”

He goes on to say “everyone, regardless of their politics, should be troubled by the growing anti-press campaign led by President Trump and his administration, which challenges not just journalists but our right to ask questions on behalf of the American people.”

In fact, Trump isn’t challenging the right to ask questions, and he answers more media questions than any president in memory. Sulzberger never complained about Hidin’ Joe Biden.

The real issue is that the Times abandoned all standards of fairness to get Trump the minute he entered politics in 2015.

Its coverage reflects an obvious desire to destroy him personally and politically.

The First Amendment may protect that, and I hope it does.

But no honest person can possibly believe the paper’s coverage of Trump is remotely close to fair and balanced.

The Gray Lady has become a nasty, leftist propaganda outlet on Sulzberger’s watch.

For that, he has nobody to blame but himself.