Poll: Hundreds of Thousands Threaten to Leave New York if Mamdani Wins

SadaNews - Nearly 800,000 New York residents plan to leave the city if Democratic candidate Zahraan Mamdani wins the mayoral election scheduled for today, Tuesday, according to a poll conducted by JL Partners for the Daily Mail.

The polls show Mamdani, a Democratic, Indian-American Muslim, leading against Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican Cortez Silva.

The survey found that 9% of New York residents will 'definitely' leave the city, which currently has a population of about 8.5 million.

If these numbers leave, it would be akin to the entire populations of Washington D.C., Las Vegas, or Seattle migrating.

Additionally, according to the poll, 25% of New Yorkers, or 2.12 million people, are 'considering' leaving.

The survey revealed widespread concern about the possibility of Mamdani winning the election and highlighted the enormous economic impact that the 34-year-old state assembly member could have.

To clarify, the poll also found that 7% of those earning over $250,000 a year would definitely leave the city if Mamdani wins, which is significant, as the top 1% of earners in New York pay nearly half of the city’s income taxes.

North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee are among the top destinations for those considering leaving New York due to lower income and property taxes.

James Johnson, a polling expert at JL Partners, said: 'Older New Yorkers, Staten Island residents, and white voters are the most likely to say they would pack their bags and leave.'

Experts told the Daily Mail that wealthy New Yorkers are already selling their apartments in anticipation of a Mamdani victory, while others are backing out of home-buying deals in the city.

Trump Escalates His Attacks

U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his attacks against New York City mayoral candidate Zahraan Mamdani just a day before the polling date.

On Sunday, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from the city if Mamdani wins the election, calling him a 'communist.'

Trump said last July: 'As the President of the United States, I will not allow this crazy communist to run New York. Make sure I control all the buttons and have all the papers.'