Nicki Minaj Calls Hochul "Evil," Mayor Mamdani Dodges the Feud and Praises Cardi B Instead

The New York governor’s race just got a whole lot louder. Nicki Minaj lit up X with a post calling Governor Kathy Hochul“an evil woman,”a message viewed more than three million times. She even revived Hochul’s 2024“computer”moment and urged Black and Christian voters to support Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman. Hochul answered by telling Minaj to“stop going to Trump rallies”and claiming the rapper had been“poisoned by Donald Trump.”If you’re keeping score, that’s a full celebrity feud in the middle of a political campaign.

Then Mayor Zohran Mamdani entered the chat. At an October 29 press conference, a reporter asked him about the Nicki versus Hochul situation, and he laughed it off before pivoting to praise Cardi B, Minaj’s longtime rival, saying the city“loves and appreciates”her. The viral moment did what a good dodge always does: it made everyone forget the question and focus on the reaction. Mamdani clearly knows this city would rather debate rap beefs than press conferences.

Now all eyes are on November 3. New Yorkers head to the polls, and the big question is whether Cardi B will formally endorse Hochul before the votes are counted. Celebrity endorsements don’t win elections on their own, but they do pull attention, and this race needs every bit of it. So here’s what we want to know: do celebrity endorsements actually influence your vote? Drop your answer in the comments.