There’s a restlessness in New York — a sense that the city, once the capital of grit and grandeur, is now teetering on the edge of something smaller.
A new poll suggests that if socialist Zohran Mamdani wins City Hall, hundreds of thousands may simply walk away. Three-quarters of a million New Yorkers — nearly one in ten — say they would definitely leave, with millions more considering it. That’s the population of Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, or Seattle gone in a blink.
“If anywhere near that number actually left, the economic impact would be seismic,” warned pollster James Johnson, noting that “older New Yorkers, Staten Islanders, and white voters are the most likely to say they would pack up and go.”
Asked what “Mamdani’s New York” might look like, the answers came hard and fast — “disaster,” “hell,” and the unprintable “sh–hole.”
The city’s men are more likely than its women to eye the exits, and the middle-aged more likely still. Staten Island leads the charge: more than one in five there say they’ll go. Even the once-proud boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn show signs of doubt.
The would-be escapees aren’t heading for Paris or Rome. They’re bound for the Carolinas, Florida, and Tennessee — places where the taxes are lower, the air is warmer, and the sense of order still feels intact.
At least 1.9 million New Yorkers are expected to vote Tuesday, the biggest turnout since John Lindsay won in 1969. But if Mamdani prevails, he may inherit not a mandate — but a migration.
The lights may still be bright, but more and more New Yorkers are wondering if they’re worth staying under.
More over at The New York Post:
Nearly a million New Yorkers ready to flee NYC if Mamdani becomes mayor — possibly igniting mass exodus: poll https://t.co/ztUU4GqdE0 pic.twitter.com/PNTtAfkrD6
— New York Post (@nypost) November 3, 2025
