For the second week running, Gov. Kathy Hochul was in Astoria’s popular Irish sports bar Murphy’s to watch the Buffalo Bills, this time accompanied by Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani and other members of the Democratic ticket in New York City.
Hochul was joined by Mamdani, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and City Comptroller candidate Mark Levine at the popular Astoria bar at 45-01 23rd Ave. Sunday afternoon to watch as the Bills defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 28-21 to gain some revenge for their narrow defeat in the 2025 AFC Championship Game.
The Governor also visited Murphy’s, a famous Bills supporters bar, last Sunday as Josh Allen and Co. dismantled the Carolina Panthers.
Hochul and the city’s Democratic nominees looked on as the Bills outfoxed Patrick Mahomes to move re-establish themselves as genuine Super Bowl contenders, enjoying an order of Murphy’s house buffalo wings in the process.
Hochul had endorsed Mamdani in September and invited the Queens Assembly Member to join her in his own district Sunday afternoon.
Rory Murphy, who owns the popular sports bar, said he usually aims to stay away from politics but said he was happy to welcome Mamdani to his bar Sunday because of his ties to the neighborhood.
“Normally I stay away from politics and religion, but I was like, ‘the guy’s from Astoria, why not just let him in,'” Murphy said.
Mamdani stayed for the first half of Sunday’s game before setting off for Madison Square Garden to watch the New York Knicks defeat the Chicago Bulls. Murphy said the Democratic nominee was highly engaged with customers and bar staff during his visit.
“It was nice,” Murphy said. “The side that I see is that I was just welcoming a guy from Astoria who is going to be mayor.”
Mamdani, the clear front-runner in the ongoing mayoral election, is up by double-digits in most polls ahead of Tuesday’s election.
Meanwhile, Hochul, a native of Buffalo, stayed on for the remainder of the game to watch the Bills close out an impressive win.
Murphy said the bar’s evolution into a “Bills Mafia” stronghold has been a gradual process that started when some local fans reached out to see if they could turn the pub into a Bills bar by playing games with the sound.
The bar later began playing the Bills “Shout” song, which is played whenever the Bills score a touchdown at home, and the Bills takeover was complete.
However, Murphy emphasized that the bar welcomes fans of all teams and sports.
“We show the Jets and the Giants, we’re Mets, but we’re Yankees. We’re everything,” Murphy said.
He praised Bills fans for creating a welcoming atmosphere and said Sunday’s event embodied that atmosphere.
“It was never about welcoming politicians,” Murphy said. “It was welcoming two people who are sports people. Bills fans are all about having a good time sitting in a bar while enjoying being around other Bills fans, which is something we always welcome.”
