Progressive NYC mayor candidate Mamdani gains traction with free-services promises

Pledging a slate of free programs and services during his campaign for New York City mayor, democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani has propelled himself to be among the top candidates, even threatening the highly favored former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Mamdani’s campaign has gained significant traction in the New York City mayoral race. The Democratic primary election is on Tuesday, but results are not expected tonight due to the city’s ranked choice voting system complicating the balloting and vote counting.

Currently a New York state assemblyman, Mamdani has gained some recognition through endorsements from big-name figures such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. However, he has also gained notoriety in his own right due to a platform chock-full of free services that he has promised New York residents.

Mamdani has said he will fund his promised services by raising an extra $10 billion in city revenue by raising taxes on corporations and the top 1% wealthiest New Yorkers.

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A look through Mamdani’s platform, available on his campaign website, lives up to his socialist affiliation and Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez’s endorsements.

He has promised to immediately freeze rent prices for more than 2 million New Yorkers living in rent-stabilized apartments, implement free public transit, create a network of city-owned grocery stores that are “focused on keeping prices low, not making a profit” and institute free universal childcare for children from ages 6 weeks to 5 years.

He has also promised to create a New York City Department of Community Safety that he says will deploy outreach workers in 100 subway stations, expand gun violence prevention programs, and increase funding to “hate violence prevention programs” by 800%.

Mamdani has also pledged to champion a law to raise the minimum wage in New York City to $30 an hour by 2030.

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Another major tenet of Mamdani’s platform is “Trump-proofing” New York City. His website states that President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement, tariffs and other policies are “tearing at the fabric of New York City.” Mamdani’s website states that he will strengthen the city’s sanctuary city apparatus by kicking ICE out of all city facilities and ending any cooperation with the agency as well as increasing legal support for immigrants and shielding their personal data.

His website further states that, as mayor, Mamdani will make New York City an LGBTQ+ sanctuary city and protect “reproductive rights.”

So, what does the bill look like for all this?

According to reporting by Politico this week, Mamdani’s campaign estimates that providing universal childcare would cost between $5 and $7 billion, his Department of Community Safety would cost up to $450 million in new spending, and the city-run food stores cost another $60 million.

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Mamdani is further proposing tripling the city’s $30 billion budget to carry out his housing agenda. Meanwhile, the free buses are projected to cost the MTA roughly $900 million a year in annual revenue.

Where will the extra money come from? Mamdani’s website says that he plans to raise the corporate tax rate to 11.5%, which he says will bring in an extra $5 billion. He plans to further set a flat 2% tax on those earning above $1 million annually, which he believes will bring in an extra $4 billion a year in taxes. He has also said he will hire more tax auditors, end no-bid contracts and crack down on fine collection from “corrupt landlords” to raise an additional $1 billion.

Mamdani’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.