How will Zohran Mamdani's inevitable victory affect New York City?

Zohran Mamdani is running as the democratic nominee of New York City. He is leading the polls by a huge margin against his opponents, Curtis Sliwa (R) and Andrew Cuomo (I). Mamdani is a democratic socialist with a campaign focused on free healthcare, affordable housing, and the defunding of the police. New York has stayed blue for the last 24 years and will most likely continue this trend in November.

One of Mamdani's key concerns centers on free healthcare; he advocates for nationalizing healthcare and granting the government total control. Mamdani is a vocal supporter and co-signer of the NYHA, which was initially proposed in the 1990s but rejected. The main reason it was denied was because of the act's $250-300 billion annual budget. New York City employees would be taxed an additional 6-7% payroll tax, and employers would also have to pay a certain percentage for each employee they employ.

Wait times are also key in healthcare. For example, our northern neighbors have much longer wait times for surgeries and care. Elective surgeries like hip replacements can take upwards of 10-12 months, and knee replacements even longer of upwards of 18 months. The average wait time in the US is usually upwards of 2 months. Specialist Consultations take an average of 10 weeks, and talking to specialists such as cardiologists usually takes upwards of 6 months. Whereas in the US, consultations take 1-4 weeks.

Mamdani also believes in government-controlled grocery stores, where the government has total power over food security. He believes that corporate-run stores lead to corruption as they are focused on profit and not on food quality and quantity. He also says that government-run stores will give security to affordable food, especially in low-income communities. In a market-driven economy, competition is a powerful motivator for businesses to run efficiently and reduce costs. Government-run stores, however, don't have the same competitiveness. Without competitiveness, stores can become inefficient and have slower service times.

Government-run stores may focus on affordable prices over product quality, leading to the sale of lower-quality goods. Without the incentive of profit margins, stores won't have the resources to source higher-quality goods.

New York City faces violent crime, gang violence, and property crime. Many people in dangerous parts of the city rely on the police for safety in their everyday lives. Previously, in Minneapolis and Chicago, the police were defunded, leading to higher crime rates, and communities that were already in bad condition were horribly impacted. With the defunding, response times will rise in an already crime-filled city.

Mamdani's affordable housing policies are centered around giving all people, including those in low-income communities, access to safe, reliable housing. His approach is to ensure that having housing is not just a privilege, but a right. These policies are also directed to lower-class individuals and give them an opportunity to live in areas that will give them greater opportunities. On the other hand, citizens of NYC will face higher taxes on housing, and money will need to be taken away from other public services such as healthcare, education, and public transport. These policies might also create market distortions, crowding out private developers and causing shortages of affordable units, which will inadvertently fuel the displacement of low-income residents. This market decision will ironically make it harder for low-income residents to find housing, as the private developers will pull out of the market, causing the supply to not be maintained enough for the growing demand.