Zohran Mamdani’s Mayoral Candidacy is a Gamble New York City Cannot Risk

Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, promises affordability and progressive change. While this rhetoric resonates with New Yorkers grappling with high costs, Mamdani’s policies, record, and ideological leanings pose grave risks to the city’s stability, economy, and social cohesion. His vision is impractical, at times incendiary, and clearly divisive, making him an unsuitable mayor for a city which lacks a recall mechanism.

Take it from us, San Francisco Bay area’s weary voters. We’ve lived it. We’ve endured more than our fair share of socialists, Marxists, ideologues and activists-as-elected-officials, including now-recalled rogue district attorneys, mayors and city council members over much what Mr. Mamadani pledges to do in New York should he be elected.

Mamdani’s platform—free childcare, free buses, rent freezes for rent-stabilized apartments, and city-owned grocery stores—targets the affordability crisis, a top concern for over 90% of New Yorkers, per an April 2025 Siena College poll. But nothing actually comes for free. His proposals lack a viable funding plan within New York’s $115 billion budget, the largest in its history. Free buses alone could cost $1.2 billion annually, based on MTA estimates for similar fare-free programs, while universal childcare could add billions more, according to city comptroller projections. In a recent debate, Mamdani was challenged on how to pay for it all without massive tax hikes or deeper debt. His vague reliance on “efficiency” and “reallocation” fails to address how he’d avoid burdening taxpayers or cutting essential services like sanitation or education. Such fiscal irresponsibility threatens New York’s economic stability, risking a downturn that could drive businesses and residents away. Again, we San Franciscans are living the reality of such gambles which failed.

Mamdani’s legislative record offers scant reassurance. Serving five years in New York’s State Assembly, he has passed only three bills, a meager output for someone seeking to manage a complex municipal government. The 8.8 million New Yorks demand a mayor with proven administrative competence to navigate labor negotiations, aging infrastructure, public safety, tourism, and continued economic recovery. Mamdani’s inexperience suggests he’s ill-equipped, relying instead on impassioned speeches preaching idealism over actual, practical governance.

Public safety is another grave concern. Mamdani’s past support for reducing police budgets post-2020 George Floyd protests obviously weakens law enforcement. Though he recently stated, “I will not defund the police. I will work with the police,” this shift is merely a dishonest and tactical pivot to appeal to moderate voters. A mayor who flip-flops on public safety risks reversing any incremental progress with potentially catastrophic results. Social justice ideology, if implemented, will embolden more crime, degrade the city’s quality of life and lead to systemic injustice, making the city even less safe, less appealing and less livable overall.

Mamdani’s stance on Israel and his staunch support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement is shockingly divisive.  His labeling of Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” and pledge to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alienate New York’s 1.2 million Jewish residents. In a debate, he affirmed that “Israel has the right to exist” but only with “equal rights” for non-Jews, a stance we may interpret as rejecting Israel’s Jewish identity and sovereignty. Add to this his recent wading into controversy through “globalize the Intifada” statements and belittling Holocaust survivors’ pain. A mayor must unite diverse communities, not deepen cultural rifts with polarizing rhetoric.

Mamdani’s momentum—endorsements from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders–– reflect a hunger for change among some younger and minority voters. Yet popularity does not equal competence. The list of endorsers such as CAIR, DSA, Jewish Voices for Peace, Working Families Party among others is hair-raisingly concerning.

San Francisco’s experience with socialist-leaning governance implosions serve as a stark warning. Progressive policies here, similar to Mamdani’s rhetoric in New York, have led to a 20% rise in property crime from 2019 to 2022, still-persistent open drug dealing, 37,000 drug addicts, and a homelessness crisis with thousands of unsheltered individuals. Mass retail closures, as well as pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS exiting due to shoplifting, and a $790 million budget deficit, have eroded our city’s affordability, desirability and quality of life. New Yorkers should heed San Francisco’s lesson and reject Mamdani to avoid unsafe streets, shuttered businesses, and declining livability.

In this upcoming ranked-choice primary election, New Yorkers must vote carefully, as you don’t have the recall law on the books as San Francisco has. Essentially, he cannot be removed once elected. Mamdani’s inexperience and divisive ideology risk instability. The city needs a leader who can balance affordability with pragmatism, strengthen public safety, and foster cohesion across communities. Voters must today support a candidate who will preserve New York’s vibrancy and resilience for all.