Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayoral candidate, during an election night event in New York, US, early on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Christian Monterrosa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Another central tenet of Mamdani’s campaign has been his vow to crack down on "bad landlords" by having the city take control of properties when a landlord refuses to make repairs or "demonstrates consistent neglect" of their tenants. He also believes he can fix New York City’s affordable housing crisis by immediately freezing the rents of the over two million New York residents who live in rent-stabilized apartments.
To address the city’s safety crisis, Mamdani has said he will create a new government agency called the Department of Community Safety (DCS) that he says will utilize "evidence-based strategies that prevent violence and crime before they occur." Among the new agency’s top priorities, as stated by Mamdani in a campaign video, will be to expand gun violence programs, address hate and tackle homelessness. The agency would also deploy mental health workers to subways and trouble spots, which he said "will make all of us safer."
He has also pledged to institute universal free childcare for children aged 6 weeks to 5 years as well as to raise wages for childcare workers to be on par with public school teachers.
Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani takes the stage at his primary election party on Wednesday, June 25, 2025 in New York. (Heather Khalifa/AP Photo)
"As socialists, we believe people should not have to endure violence & coercion of a criminal-legal system that props up the exploitation of the market by surveilling, caging & killing those fighting to survive under capitalism," he said, adding, "We can abolish that system."
He called on the New York state assembly to fight the construction of any new prisons and instead invest those funds in communities "that have been impacted by mass incarceration."
Again in 2021, he said, "Our prison system relies on dehumanization and brutality, so the goal must be to abolish this exploitative system entirely. We must #DecarcerateNow."
Mamdani also called to abolish private health insurance and medical bills, saying, "This is no time to put the ideology of capitalism above helping those who are in the greatest need."
In addition to calling for less policing and less incarceration, Mamdani also tweeted in 2022 that "we need to ban all guns."
He has further called for legislation to decriminalize sex work, permit "safe injection sites" for drug use, re-enfranchise convicts and end all cooperation with ICE.
Following Mamdani’s victory over Cuomo on Tuesday night, many are now expressing alarm that his policy proposals could come to fruition if he is unable to unseat the sitting Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for reelection as an independent.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) seen here at a rally on May 1, 2025, was among progressive Democrats like Rep. Ilhan Omar and Sen. Bernie Sanders who endorsed Zohran Mamdani's bid for mayor. (Angelina Katsanis/AP Photo)
Cortez said that Mamdani’s "dedication to an affordable, welcoming, and safe New York City where working families can have a shot has inspired people across the city," while Sanders commended Mamdani, saying, "you took on the political, economic and media Establishment- and you beat them."
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Rep. Ilhan Omar, who is also known for controversial statements about Israel and America, congratulated Mamdani as well: "Thank you NYC for not letting the bigots and corrupt billionaires prevail," and "Alhamdulillah," which is Arabic for "praise be to Allah."
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Adams has also commented on Mamdani’s win, saying, "What NYC deserves is a mayor who’s proud to run on his record—not one who ran from his record, or one who has no record. We deserve a mayor who will keep driving down crime, support our police, fight antisemitism, and stand up for working-class New Yorkers."
"It’s time to unite. It’s time to fight. We have a city to save," said Adams.
Mamdani’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment at the time of publication.
Fox News Digital's Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/city-run-grocery-stores-defunding-police-safe-injection-sites-what-know-about-nycs-next-potential-mayor