Kat’s between a bloc and a hard place.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s already on the re-election hot seat as liberal pols and activists warned her Sunday to support Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s tax-hike plans — or get voted out of office.
The Democratic Socialists of America — empowered and gaining mainstream influence after Mamdani’s win in the mayoral election this month — held a “Tax the Rich” rally in Union Square Sunday as Democratic state lawmakers warm to the tax increases over worries they could face primaries and the wrath of liberals in next year’s elections.
DSA member and Brooklyn state Sen. Jibari Brisport told those gathered that he twice tried to work with Hochul on passing universal childcare legislation, only to get rebuffed.
“Kathy Hochul, if you get a third strike, you’re out!” Brisport said to whoops and applause at the rally.
Brisport said, “There’s no way to get universal child care without raising taxes on the rich,” and that Hochul has to cooperate.
“So if she [Hochul] does sabotage it and blocks it then I think the plan is that she has to go,” Brisport said.
Mamdani wants the state government to increase taxes on the wealthy and up the corporate tax to pay for his agenda, which includes free universal child care and bus service and a ramping of housing construction.
Hochul endorsed the democratic socialist in the general election, but has said she would hold the line on taxes — a stance that immediately puts her at odds with Mamdani and his energized supporters.
Critics and political insiders have said Hochul created the situation by some of her own doing — with her support for Mamdani having empowered the leftwing of the party. DSA-backed challenges are now possible for anyone who doesn’t go along with its extensive policy goals.
DSA co-chair Gustavo Gordillo set the tone at the start of the rally, saying the DSA member Mamdani’s win in the mayoral election provides the mandate for a tax increase.
“The corporate press and the political establishment tell us it won’t be possible to tax the rich. They’re saying Governor Hochul is opposed to raising taxes,” Gordillo said.
“Well, Governor Hochul, 12 days ago [on Election Day], over 1 million voters in New York made it very clear what we want,” he added.
The political threats come as state lawmakers are already ready to act on the tax plan — weeks before Mamdani takes office.
State Sen. John Liu (D-Queens) and Assemblywoman Phara Souffrant Forrest (D-Brooklyn) just introduced a bill that would allow the city to impose a 2% surcharge on New Yorkers’ incomes over $1 million.
Under the bill, an individual making $1.5 million would face a surcharge on the $500,000 above the threshold.
They claim the surcharge could rise to $4 billion a year.
The revenues from the tax hike would go to expand healthcare, affordable housing, universal childcare, transit improvements, safe streets and other essential needs, the lawmakers said.
“New Yorkers are insufferably squeezed by stagnant wages and escalating costs, a crisis that is only getting worse with new federal policies designed to benefit the wealthiest and punish working people,” said Liu, the former city comptroller and Mamdani ally.
“It is entirely fair and appropriate to ask the highest income people, who just got a 2.6 percent tax cut from Donald Trump, to support a 2 percent increase in order for New York to generate the revenue needed to strengthen our economy and not leave working New Yorkers behind,” Liu added.
Liu spokesman Scott Sieber said the senator introduced the millionaires’ tax bill following discussions with other senators and “fully expects bill cosponsors as the legislative session opens in January.”
State Sen. Mike Gianaris (D-Queens), the deputy majority leader and second most powerful lawmaker, told The Post he’ll use his influence to get Albany to back Mamdani’s programs.
Gianaris and Mamdani have overlapping districts in western Queens and they teamed up in the past to steer $15 million in state funds to finance experimental free bus service in Queens.
Asked about the $800 million cost to make bus service free, he said, “We do programs of that size every year in the budget.”
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He also said Senate Democrats have pushed bills to advance subsidized child care.
“I’m 100 percent going to push for this,” Gianaris said, calling financing for universal child care and free buses “important and necessary.”
Hochul, the most powerful player in budget talks, said she opposes raising income taxes or diverting funds from the MTA to subsidize bus fares as she faces voters next year, in what is expected to be a tough race, likely against upstate Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik.
The governor does not support raising the 7.3% corporate tax either, which Mamdani wants to raise to 11%, sources close to Hochul said. That plan would move New York from 17th among states to tied for first with New Jersey, sources close to the governor said.
But she has not taken a corporate tax hike off the table either, if the state has to close a multi-billion budget gap.
While trying to navigate a growing movement on her left flank to raise taxes, the business community will resist a rise in corporate taxes, which would become an issue in the general election.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, the incoming CEO of the influential Partnership of the City of New York, said Mamdani’s proposal to boost the state’s business tax rate would be “absolute suicide.”
“This proposal is absolute suicide for NYC and an absolute dream for NJ,” Fulop said.
He noted that businesses in the city pay other taxes that would raise would raise their overall rates to 16%.
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