In about two weeks, Zohran Mamdani will take over as mayor of New York City, and his agenda is already facing a massive uphill battle.
Mamdani is staring down the barrel at a $2 billion budget deficit, which is not good news for someone who wants to give every service you can imagine away to residents.
While he seems to be enjoying a honeymoon with voters now, that will be short-lived.
The warning signs that Mamdani was going to have serious issues with his agenda started to surface last month when New York Gov. Kathy Hochul bailed on Mamdani’s free bus rides program.
When Hochul was asked about the roughly $700 million it would take to fund such a program, she responded, “I cannot set forth a plan right now that takes money out of a system that relies on the fares of the buses and the subways.”
She added, “But can we find a path to make it more affordable for people who need help? Of course, we can.”
Mamdani has been asked repeatedly where he plans to find this money, and he has done nothing but offer spin, saying that how he funds it is not important, just that it gets funded. That is a really clever way of saying he doesn’t have a clue.
As most incoming politicians get, Mamdani is enjoying a bit of a honeymoon with voters right now, but he has yet to take office.
A Siena University poll that was released this week shows Mamdani with a 46% approval rating across the entire state, which is up 9% from the previous poll.
Among New York City residents, 66% believe he will be good for the city, with only 25% believing the opposite. This was yet another increase, having only polled at 57% before the election, with 26% saying he would not be good for the city.
Mamdani is a slick speaker, which is likely what has led to the warming of him and his policies. But that all changes once he gets into office and tries to raise taxes and sees his programs crash and burn for lack of funding. If that happens, we are going to see New Yorkers turn on him rather quickly.
A new report has found that Mamdani is taking over a city with a $2.13 billion shortfall, and this is not even his budget, which will add significantly more costs. To that point, the city’s shortfall could balloon to as much as $13 billion by the end of his term.
Democrat strategist Bill Cunningham observed, “From the looks of this, the mayor-elect’s choice for Congress gave a report card on what he has to deal with, and there’s no good news.”
He continued, “On Day One, Mayor Mamdani will be confronted with nothing but fiscal problems to deal with before even trying to get additional funds.”
If the city is already short $2 billion, the free bus program would add nearly another $1 billion right out of the gate, and that does not even account for the free childcare and city-owned grocery stores he wants. That does not even address his plan to buy up property around the city to turn the Big Apple into a giant commune. It is truly sad to think what that city will look like by the time Mamdani comes up for re-election.
