Veteran political strategist Dick Morris issued a stark warning about the potential consequences of Zohran Mamdani’s economic proposals, arguing that the Democratic mayoral hopeful’s progressive platform could plunge New York into financial peril.
“The defect in what Mamdani is saying, is that if he were elected, all of the federal aid, all of the state aid to New York would be endangered — and probably cut off,” Morris told Newsmax TV’s “The Count” on Saturday.
“And the bondholders who have to lend New York money are going to say, ‘Hey, if you’re not letting people pay rent, and if you’re not making people pay to get on buses, I’m not going to lend you money because it’s not going to be repaid.’ And I think that that is the ultimate crunch Mamdani would face.”
Morris’s comments reflect the anxiety among centrist Democrats and fiscal conservatives who view Mamdani’s sweeping housing and transit reforms, including rent cancellation and free public transportation, as financially unsustainable. To them, such policies might satisfy populist demands in the short term but risk alienating investors, credit agencies, and even state and federal partners vital to the city’s financial stability.
Supporters of Mamdani counter that the candidate’s platform reimagines economic justice for working New Yorkers and seeks to reduce dependence on Wall Street and political patronage.
But Morris’s remarks underscore a persistent theme in New York politics: the tension between progressive social policy and the hard arithmetic of municipal finance.
As the race unfolds, Morris’s critique positions him as one of the loudest voices warning that idealism, unchecked by fiscal prudence, could lead New York into a new budgetary crisis — a cautionary echo from a man who’s seen many political pendulums swing.
Mamdani, a New York state assemblyman representing Queens, won the Democratic primary in June, defeating Andrew?Cuomo and other to become the Democratic nominee for NYC mayor.
Since the primary, polls show him with a substantial lead over his general-election rivals. For example, several recent surveys place him comfortably ahead of both the Republican candidate Curtis?Sliwa and former Mayor Eric?Adams, who’s running as an independent.
Morris says Sliwa “has a pretty good chance” to win.
“He really articulated a conservative agenda for New York,” Morris told Newsmax.
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