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was originally reported by Jennifer Gerson of . .

She鈥檚 a centrist Democrat and newly minted grandmother born and raised in Buffalo whose first childhood home was a trailer by a steel plant. 

He鈥檚 a Democratic socialist and a newlywed, born in Uganda and raised mostly in New York City by a renowned film director and a Columbia University professor.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic mayoral nominee in New York City, are an unlikely political pairing in many ways. But what brings them together is a shared interest in affordable child care 鈥� specifically the idea of making it universal for New Yorkers. 

It鈥檚 a policy Hochul has stressed while talking about her support for Mamdani, who is likely to be named the winner of the city鈥檚 mayoral race after polls close Tuesday. 

鈥淚鈥檝e had conversations with Assemblymember Mamdani about how we can get to universal child care. I believe we can. I believe that,鈥� Hochul said this month at an event with Mamdani at the Boys & Girls Club of Queens in Astoria.  

Experts in child care policy and the politics around it see the shared ground for these two politicians 鈥� even if they don鈥檛 agree on all the details 鈥� as emblematic of how critical the issue has become to many voters, particularly younger ones. It鈥檚 especially true in New York City, which is heavily Democratic, and the state, which is solidly so. 

Reshma Saujani, the founder and CEO of Moms First, a national group organizing on paid leave and affordable child care, said that she鈥檚 seen a shift in the past two years and that 鈥渦niversal child care is quickly becoming a platform issue on every single Democratic platform.鈥� 

Amanda Litman, the president and co-founder of Run for Something 鈥� which recruits and supports young, progressive candidates to run for local and statewide office 鈥� said affordability is the issue defining millennial candidates鈥� races right now, as evidenced in the Mamdani campaign. The fact that child care figures so prominently is no surprise, she said, since for many millennials, struggling to afford child care is part of their lived experience. 

鈥淧oliticians who want to win and who want to be seen as fighting both for families but also for the future of the economy will position themselves accordingly,鈥� Litman said.

Enter the unlikely partnership of Mamdani and Hochul. 

鈥淚 think we鈥檙e at a turning point,鈥� Hochul said in a phone interview with The 19th. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a larger narrative around this now.鈥� 

But for her, the issue is nothing new. 

鈥淚鈥檝e been talking about this long before there was a mayor鈥檚 race with this position, and I鈥檓 glad we have other people who are supporting my position,鈥� Hochul said. 鈥淎s a mom-governor, this is personal and it鈥檚 something I raised in my first budget and I raised again this year. I love that people are talking about it through an affordability lens as well.鈥�

Hochul said that years ago she had to leave a job she loved on Capitol Hill because she couldn鈥檛 find affordable child care. She鈥檚 concerned about how little has changed since 鈥� she鈥檚 now watching her own children, who have begun having children of their own, encounter the same issue.

As governor, she in the state, giving families up to $1,000 per child under the age of 4 and up to $500 per child from 4 to 16. This spring, Hochul also announced a in child care, including $110 million for new child care facilities, repairs to existing sites and new home-based programs. She also for child care assistance so that families of four making up to $108,000 are eligible for child care that costs just $15 per week. 

According to , the average annual cost of child care in 2024 for infants and toddlers in family-based care was $18,200, up 79 percent since 2019; for  center-based care, it was $26,000, up 43 percent since 2019. 

In her address in January, Hochul expressed her desire to create a roadmap for universal child care for New York state, forming a task force and considering revenue streams outside of raising taxes. 

Mamdani has proposed for New York City children six weeks through 5 years old and has discussed to do so. But the mayor of New York City does not have the power to raise taxes 鈥� to fund his proposal, he needs the assistance of the governor鈥檚 office. 

However, raising taxes is something Hochul has not expressed support for: Even after her appearance at a rally with Mamdani on Sunday was met with she in an interview on a Fox News podcast the following day: 鈥淚 will say one energetic rally does not get me to change my positions. I assure you.鈥�

Hochul told The 19th that it would take approximately $7 billion 鈥� more than the city鈥檚 police budget 鈥� to fund universal child care in New York City and close to $15 billion to implement it statewide.

In a statement, Mamdani鈥檚 spokesperson Dora Pekec told The 19th, 鈥淎fter rent, the number one cost facing families is child care 鈥� it鈥檚 driving working families out of this city, which is why Zohran Mamdani has made universal child care a cornerstone of his affordability agenda. Zohran is grateful for Governor Hochul鈥檚 partnership on the issue and looks forward to making universal child care a reality for all New Yorkers alongside her.鈥� 

Hochul said she is happy to see that the conversation about child care has been shifted out of the realm of 鈥渨omen鈥檚 issues.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 about time that we have more than just the moms,鈥� she said. 鈥淗aving a mayoral candidate like Zohran Mamdani embracing this as well shows that this is not a gender-specific issue at all, and I think that鈥檚 the progress we鈥檝e been needing.鈥�

The Mamdani-Hochul alliance speaks to politicians鈥� belief that action on child care is critical to winning Gen Z and millennial voters who are feeling shut out of the promise of economic mobility.

鈥淚鈥檝e always said this, but whoever basically fixes child care will win the ballot box. 鈥� It is such a pain point and such a deciding factor for so many families and the trajectories of their lives,鈥� Saujani said.

Rebecca Bailin founded New Yorkers United for Child Care two years ago when the city鈥檚 universal preschool program for 3-year-olds was under .  Since then, she has organized over 10,000 New York City parents around the issue of universal child care in the city. 

鈥淚n all my years of organizing, I鈥檝e never seen something so resonant. People were ready for this because it really hits home. Yes, we care about our children and all the benefits of child care in terms of their development. But also this is about being able to work. This is about living our lives without totally going broke,鈥� she said. 

Bailin pointed to recent data that shows that parents with children under the age of 6 are . 

She said her coalition includes low-income and middle-class parents who are feeling the financial burden of child care, but also those watching this struggle and seeing the toll it takes 鈥� something that is now reflected in Mamdani鈥檚 campaign. 

鈥淭his is aunties. This is friends who are sick of seeing their friends leave the city because they want a more affordable city and want to keep the community that they鈥檝e come to love and not lose people when they start families. This is employers who want their employees to be able to afford the city,鈥� Bailin said.

She credits Hochul for understanding this dynamic 鈥� and early. 

鈥淕overnor Hochul is hearing what people are saying. She鈥檚 understanding that this is a real crisis moment, not just for the city, but the entire state and the entire country,鈥� she said.

Mamdani鈥檚 embrace of universal child care as an issue has laid bare an interesting gender dynamic. 

鈥淚 have been saying that for way too long, this was a 鈥榳omen鈥檚 issue鈥� 鈥� that people would say, 鈥榊ou made a choice to have children. This is your problem. Figure it out,鈥欌�� Hochul said. 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e seeing this transition from 鈥業t鈥檚 a you problem鈥� to 鈥業t鈥檚 a collective, societal problem.鈥� And that鈥檚 a very positive dynamic and one I鈥檝e been working for for a long time.鈥�

Political experts echoed the importance of Mamdani embracing the issue.

鈥淚t is rare that you see a young, childless dude talking about this issue. I think that he鈥檚 a really good messenger for this because it is not built into his bio 鈥� the way that most of his campaign is not built into his bio 鈥� but about what he鈥檚 hearing from voters,鈥� Litman said. 

She said this is why the Mamdani-Hochul alliance on this issue is a strong one. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just, 鈥楾he woman is trying to get it done,鈥� but they can send the message of, 鈥業t鈥檚 the public servants who are trying to get things done.鈥� I hate this reality, but this is the reality and this is the reality that gets us to a place where we don鈥檛 have to spend some $30,000 a year on child care.鈥�

Saujani stressed that getting universal child care in New York City would have a huge impact nationwide. Seeing a city of this size 鈥� and a state this diverse 鈥� funding and implementing this would be a strong signal that child care is not just a personal problem for a family to fix, but an economic problem that the government can and should manage. 

鈥淰oters are drowning. They鈥檙e being priced out of the American dream,鈥� Saujani said. Reducing the cost of child care is 鈥渘ot just a sound bite, but a real reality that people are looking for when asking, 鈥楬ave you changed my life? Have you helped me thrive, not just survive?鈥欌��

This story was originally published on The 19th.

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