Mamdani Wins New York Polls, Will Millions Leave City As They Had Claimed?

New York City has a new mayor. Democrat socialist Zohran Mamdani has won the 2025 mayoral election, becoming the first Indian-American Muslim and the youngest person ever elected to lead the city. Ahead of the election, a poll suggested that Mamdani's victory could trigger a mass departure from the city.

The survey, conducted by JL Partners, found that approximately 765,000 of New York's 8.4 million residents, or nine per cent, said they would “definitely” leave if Mamdani was elected. Another 25 per cent, roughly 2.12 million people, said they would “consider” leaving the city, as per The NY Post.

Almost 800,000 New Yorkers are planning to flee the city if Democrat candidate Zohran Mamdani wins Tuesday's mayoral election, according to a poll carried out by J.L. Partners for the Daily Mail. pic.twitter.com/dygLlnu4VS

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) November 3, 2025

The 34-year-old's win came despite strong opposition from US President Donald Trump. Mamdani's campaign had promised to tax the wealthy, a policy that appears to have fuelled concerns among high earners, particularly voters aged 50 to 64, some of whom hold 12 per cent of the city's wealth.

The poll showed some clear trends. Men were more likely than women to plan on leaving the city, with 12 per cent of men and seven per cent of women saying they would definitely move. About a fourth of each group were thinking about it.

People aged 50 to 64 were also more likely to leave, with 12 per cent certain and 33 per cent considering it.

White and Asian residents were more worried, with 13 per cent and 11 per cent respectively saying they would definitely move. Staten Island had the highest numbers, with 21 per cent certain and 54 per cent considering leaving.

Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old state assemblyman from Queens, is the 111th mayor of New York City. He defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and is set to officially take office on January 1, 2026, succeeding Eric Adams.

At his victory speech, the mayor-elect quoted India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. “Standing before you, I think of the words of Jawaharlal Nehru. A moment comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation long suppressed finds utterance. Tonight, we have stepped out from the old into the new,” Mamdani said, taking inspiration from Nehru's 1947 “Tryst with Destiny” address.