Growing Number of New Yorkers Say They’ll Leave If Mamdani Wins Mayor Race
A growing share of New Yorkers are openly warning they’ll pack up and leave the city if far-left socialist Zohran Mamdani takes over City Hall next month — underscoring just how uneasy residents have become about New York’s political trajectory.
According to a new Victory Insights survey, 26.5 percent of respondents said they would consider leaving New York City if Mamdani wins the mayoral election. Another 68.4 percent said they would stay, while 5.2 percent remain undecided.
Despite his ideological extremism, Mamdani’s favorability rating clocked in at 2.99 out of 5, ranking higher than both former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo (2.40) and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa (2.72) — an indication that many New Yorkers may simply be resigned to the city’s leftward tilt rather than enthusiastic about it.
But beneath those numbers lies a deep anxiety. The same poll found that 39 percent of respondents believe Mamdani is a threat to the future of the city, including nearly a third of Democrats. The findings reveal a city split between those clinging to traditional order and those embracing Mamdani’s radical, redistributionist vision.
“It would come as a major surprise if anyone other than Mamdani is elected mayor of New York City,” the polling firm concluded.
“However, many voters are extremely concerned about that outcome. Thirty-nine percent of voters believe Mamdani is a threat to the future of the city. Cuomo and Sliwa voters are widely considering fleeing the city if he’s elected. New York City seems to be nearing an inflection point, one that could reshape the city for years to come.”
The poll surveyed 500 likely voters between October 22 and 24, though the margin of error was not disclosed.
Early voting begins Saturday, with Election Day set for November 4 — just 11 days away.
Trump: “I’d Rather Have a Democrat Than a Communist”
President Donald J. Trump, himself a lifelong New Yorker, reportedly believes Mamdani’s lead is “virtually insurmountable,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
A senior White House official told the outlet that the president views the 34-year-old Queens assemblyman as the clear favorite to defeat Cuomo and Sliwa in what is shaping up to be a landslide.
Trump has expressed skepticism that a Sliwa withdrawal would do much to help Cuomo, despite calls from several prominent Republicans — including Eric Trump, Bill Ackman, and John Catsimatidis — for the Guardian Angels founder to step aside.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, President Trump was blunt when asked about his preference between the two non-socialist candidates.
“It’s really a question of would I rather have a Democrat or a communist?” Trump said. “And I would rather have a Democrat than a communist.”
He added that if Sliwa dropped out, “maybe Cuomo would have a little bit of a chance, but not much.”
Sliwa, for his part, has refused to bow to party pressure and issued a stern warning to anyone who tries to buy him out.
“I’m not budging,” Sliwa declared. “Anyone who presents me with a bribe to suspend my campaign will be reported to New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg.”
Economic Alarm Bells Ring
President Trump has privately voiced concerns that a Mamdani victory could endanger his company’s Manhattan operations, given the socialist’s pledge to “raise taxes on the wealthy” to bankroll his so-called “affordability agenda” — a massive spending scheme involving housing and public transit subsidies.
Last month, the president warned he would cut federal funds to New York City if Mamdani prevailed. True to his word, Trump has already canceled $18 billion in planned infrastructure funding, citing the ongoing government shutdown and the city’s fiscal mismanagement.
A Contentious Final Debate
During their final televised debate Wednesday, tensions flared as Mamdani labeled Cuomo “a desperate man, lashing out because he knows that the one thing he’s always cared about – power – is now slipping away from him.”
Cuomo hit back, painting Mamdani as an unqualified radical.
“Zohran is a great actor,” Cuomo shot back. “He missed his calling. This man never even proposed a bill on housing or education.”
With just days remaining, New York stands at a crossroads: between the last remnants of common-sense governance and a hard-left experiment that could drive thousands more families, jobs, and businesses out of the city once hailed as the capital of American prosperity.