A new poll has revealed that hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are prepared to leave the city if democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani wins the upcoming mayoral election.
The survey, conducted by J.L. Partners for the Daily Mail, found that nine percent of New Yorkers would “definitely” leave the city if Mamdani takes office.
]With New York City’s current population at 8.5 million, this represents at least 765,000 residents.
The potential departure would rank among the largest mass exoduses in American history.
The number of people prepared to flee equals the entire population of cities like Washington D.C., Las Vegas or Seattle.
The poll uncovered even more troubling numbers for the city’s future.
An additional 25 percent of New Yorkers, or approximately 2.12 million people, said they would “consider” leaving under a Mamdani administration.
The survey highlighted widespread concern about the 34-year-old state assemblyman taking control of City Hall.
Resist the Mainstream previously reported that respondents who do not support Mamdani described what they believe the city would become under his leadership using words including “disaster,” “hell,” “chaos,” “destroyed” and “s***hole.”
Mamdani supporters, however, used different terminology.
They predicted the city would be “affordable,” “improved,” “hopeful” and “changed” under his leadership.
The poll revealed a critical threat to the city’s tax base.
Seven percent of New Yorkers earning over $250,000 annually said they would definitely leave if Mamdani becomes mayor.
New York’s wealthiest residents play a crucial role in city finances.
The top one percent of earners pay approximately half of the city’s income taxes.
A significant departure of high earners would devastate city finances.
The resulting budget shortfall would leave less money available for Mamdani’s proposed policies, which involve subsidizing various sectors of the city’s economy.
James Johnson of J.L. Partners commented on the findings.
“Who knows if we can believe people when they say it, but the prospect of Mamdani is so scary to some that they are considering throwing in the Big Apple for new digs,” he said.
Johnson noted specific demographic patterns in the data.
“Older New Yorkers, Staten Islanders, and white voters are the most likely to say they would pack up and leave,” he said.
“It is easy to see why: when asked how they would sum up Mamdani’s New York, they say it would be a ‘disaster’, ‘hell’, and – close your eyes younger readers – a ‘s***hole.’”
Real estate professionals told the Daily Mail that wealthy New Yorkers are already taking action. Some are selling their apartments in anticipation of a Mamdani victory, while others are canceling planned purchases.
New York realtor Jay Batra described the situation among his clients.
“These people are not thrilled about the possibility of Mamdani winning,” he said. “They don’t want to hear about Mamdani and the rent freeze he is proposing.”
Batra detailed recent developments in his business.
“Two weeks ago, I had a couple of buyers In the $3, $4 and $5million price point range – one I was selling a building to – who are no longer interested in buying,” he said.
Many wealthy New Yorkers are eyeing southern states.
The Carolinas are attracting interest due to lower resident income tax and reduced property tax rates.
Scott Singer, the Republican Mayor of Boca Raton, Florida, told the Daily Mail his city welcomes businesses relocating from New York.
“I’ve been working with business leaders who are already trying to anticipate this move by planning for an exodus to Boca Raton. I’ve seen strong enthusiasm,” he said.
Singer predicted serious challenges ahead for New York businesses.
“With the prospect of more taxes and likely rises in crime and other problems coming, they’re looking to come to our low tax, safe, vibrant business ecosystem,” he said.
The Florida mayor drew historical comparisons. “This path is surprising and shocking.”
“People, I think, have forgotten the vitality that New York had in the 1990s and how that was a response to the high crime and poor economy it suffered through the 70s and 80s,” he said.
“New York is about to repeat some of the lessons from history that many voters have forgotten or never knew,” he added.
The poll showed Mamdani leading the race among decided voters.
He stood at 45 percent, with Andrew Cuomo at 31 percent running as an independent, Republican Curtis Sliwa at 22 percent, former mayor Eric Adams at 1 percent, and 1 percent planning write-in votes.
The demographic breakdown of potential departures revealed specific patterns.
Twelve percent of men said they would definitely leave, with 25 percent considering it.
Among women, seven percent would definitely go and 24 percent would think about it.
Age proved a significant factor in departure plans.
New Yorkers aged 50 to 64 showed the highest likelihood of leaving, with 12 percent saying they definitely would and 33 percent considering the move.
The poll found 13 percent of white New Yorkers and 11 percent of Asian New Yorkers would definitely leave.
Thirty-five percent of Republicans said they would depart, as would 11 percent of Cuomo voters.
