Election Night: Democrats Won
Liberals had a strong showing Wednesday—mostly holding seats Democrats already controlled, but in several races, replacing incumbents with even more progressive candidates. The standout? Zohran Mamdani.
In today’s breakdown, we’ll cover this year’s off-cycle election results and take a closer look at Mamdani’s policies. I spent two hours reading through his platform so you don’t have to.
Wednesday night:
Abigail Spanberger (D) defeated Winsome Earle-Sears (R) for Governor of Virginia.
Mikie Sherrill (D) defeated Jack Ciattarelli (R) for Governor of New Jersey.
Zohran Mamdani (D) defeated Andrew Cuomo (D) for Mayor of New York City.
Omar Fateh (D) lost to incumbent Jacob Frey (D) for Mayor of Minneapolis. (The only W republicans had was this race where a Somali extremist lost to the incumbent.)
In California, a ballot measure (Prop 50) passed that is expected to favour Democrats by redrawing congressional districts and adding seats in congress.
Give it to me straight, what is Mamdani proposing?
I’m glad you asked. His plan would force landlords to freeze rent — tenants could request a rent freeze from the city and keep it until they’re considered “stabilized.”
He also wants to subsidize unions to build 200,000 low-income, Section 8–style housing units.
If a landlord fails to fix a tenant’s complaint — say, a broken washing machine — the city would step in, make the repair, and send the landlord the bill.
And finally, the city would have the power to seize properties from so-called “bad landlords” and sell them off on the owner’s behalf.
That sounds terrible for property markets, what about public safety?
Glad you asked, my well-informed audience. Zohran’s new Department of Community Safety will handle nonviolent calls that were previously routed to police — meaning unarmed, non–combat-trained mental health professionals will now respond when there hasn’t been violence yet.
But what happens if things turn violent after they arrive? Well… I guess they pray and run for their lives.
No surprise here — he’s also expanding “gun violence prevention” programs (read: tighter gun restrictions) and broadening initiatives to combat what the city classifies as “hate” violence.
Taking my guns and sending noncops doesn’t really sound safe though, how about affordability?
He’s proposing a city-owned grocery store—one that would compete directly with local mom-and-pop shops already operating on razor-thin margins. That’s right: the government wants to sell food at wholesale prices, undercutting private grocers in what’s sure to become a race to the bottom that drives small businesses out of the city.
But don’t worry—bus fares will be free, even though the system already costs taxpayers billions each year. And on top of that, he plans to close streets around schools, so if you’re dropping your kid off, good luck finding a route that’s still open.
If you run a business, brace yourself: the corporate tax rate jumps to 11.5% to fund all these giveaways. And for the 34,000 New Yorkers earning over $1 million, an additional flat 2% rate—you’ll be paying more to cover the tab.
Pheww, good thing I’m not in NYC
That’s right — most of us are here in sunny Florida, and New York City is a prime example of what Tampa could turn into if we’re not careful. A few highlights from Mamdani’s agenda: the LGBTQIA-LMNOP+ community will receive $30 million for housing and another $50 million in additional funding — all from taxpayer dollars. He plans to subsidize 15,000 new union jobs and expand government payrolls even further. He’s also promised that police will not cooperate with ICE agents and wants to raise the minimum wage to $30 an hour.
Who would vote for this??
These policies mainly appealed to young women — though many young men took notice as well. Parents, it’s worth carving out time with your sons and daughters to help them think critically, before their minds are swept up by the wave of socialist ideas.
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