Hernandez officially launched his mayoral campaign on July 1, 2025 at a press conference in front of the New York Stock Exchange — a deliberate symbol of his pro-growth, pro-capitalism platform. He was joined at the launch by the Bodega and Small Business Group, the largest organized network of bodega owners in the city, who announced their formal endorsement on the spot. Running on three core priorities — public safety (hiring 10,000 additional police officers), housing affordability through office-to-residential conversion, and AI-driven government efficiency — his campaign gathered nearly 15,000 valid petition signatures, nearly four times the legal minimum. He was certified by the NYC Board of Elections and appeared on the November 2025 general election ballot under the Quality of Life Party, earning additional endorsement from the Reform Party of New York State and the national Reform Party of the United States. He formally challenged debate organizers for excluding the only Hispanic candidate from the general election stage, citing FCC fairness regulations.