DeSantis Warns NYC About New Mayoral Candidate

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently expressed concerns about Zoran Mamdani, a Democratic mayoral candidate in New York City. He suggested that if Mamdani is elected, it could usher in “chaos.” On “Fox & Friends,” DeSantis remarked, “This guy makes de Blasio look like Ronald Reagan,” referencing former Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Mamdani secured the Democratic nomination earlier this year and is set to compete against Republican Curtis Sliwa and independent Andrew Cuomo in the upcoming general election on November 5.

According to DeSantis, Mamdani’s “far-left” policies could potentially push even more New Yorkers to relocate to Florida. A recent study noted that over 150,000 residents left New York for Florida between 2018 and 2022, while about 50,000 moved in the opposite direction. DeSantis believes this trend will continue, saying, “Palm Beach is definitely going to go up.”

Mamdani, a state representative from Queens, supports defunding the police, raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations, and making city living more affordable. However, he’s faced scrutiny for a photo with a Brooklyn imam connected to the 1993 World Trade Center bombings.

Reflecting on New York’s past, DeSantis mentioned, “It’s still less than 25 years since September 11th… we never were [going to] stay on this path.” He described Mamdani as showing sympathy towards “communism and Islamism,” which he finds troubling.

DeSantis also raised questions about Mamdani’s earlier remarks supporting police defunding, asserting that this wouldn’t sit well with the hardworking officers in the NYPD: “If you want to disband the NYPD, its rank-and-file employees are blue-collar, hard-working people.”

Mamdani has acknowledged past comments about the police, including a public apology for his statements made in 2020. He stated, “This is an apology that I have shared with many rank-and-file police officers. And I apologize for the fact that I want to work with these officers.”