The rest of the nation could not have been too surprised when New Yorkers elected the first socialist mayor of the largest city in the country in November. The fact that New York is a deep blue city is well known, but when Zohran Mamdani became a mayoral candidate during the primary and announced he was a Democratic Socialist, for most, it was a foregone conclusion that he would not only win the primary but he would win the general election and become the next mayor of the Big Apple. Now that New Yorkers have had a little time to get used to it, how are they feeling about the incoming mayor?
Mamdani’s programs will
— Eric Matheny 🎙️ (@ericmmatheny) November 7, 2025
never get off the ground.
There will be no free groceries and no free bus fare. He’s gonna learn very quickly how cities actually operate.
What will happen, however, is that the NYPD will be completely neutered and criminals will run the city.
A new Siena University poll shows that residents are warming up to the idea of socialism. The poll was conducted from December 8-12 and surveyed 801 registered New York state voters. The poll shows that Mamdani has a 46 percent approval rating statewide. That's up from 40 percent in November. By a margin of 49-32 percent, they think that Mamdani will be good for New York City. That is also up from a 45-39 percent margin in November.
READ MORE: Mamdani's Madness: Ex-Con Robber Now Tapped for NYC Justice Gig
Among those who will live under Mamdani's policies, the numbers are going up as well. The survey showed that 66 percent of New Yorkers think Mamdani's victory is positive, and 25 percent said it is not so good. This is also an increase from November, when 57 percent thought Mamdani's victory was good, and 26 percent said it was not good. In an interesting detail, those living outside the city had a negative view of him, but those numbers are now about even. There were no surprises when you broke it down by party. Two-thirds of Democrats think Mayor Mamdani will be good, versus two-thirds of Republicans who think it will be bad.
Mamdani's campaign website reads like a leftist Christmas wish list, promising free bus rides, free childcare, city-run grocery stores, and lower rent rates. How does he plan to fund this freebie extravaganza? By raising taxes on New Yorkers who earn more than $1 million per year. The poll showed that 65 percent of New Yorkers would support free childcare, and 27 percent do not. Of those polled, 50 percent said they support free bus rides, and 41 percent do not.
Mamdani finally responded to the lack of any plan to pay for free buses: “The most important fact is that we fund it, not the question of how we do it, but that we do it.”
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) December 11, 2025
Cue Margaret Thatcher: "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money"
Voters were also asked about the meeting, described as "friendly," between Mamdani and President Trump. The president said that he believed that Mamdani had the opportunity to “really do something great for New York.” However, a majority of voters, by a margin of 47-29 percent, do not believe that Mamdani and Trump will work together for New York residents. But those numbers are up as well from November, when the margin was 67-14 percent.
ALSO READ: Wait, What? Democrat Leader Who Supported Mamdani Just Voted to Condemn Socialism
Zohran Mamdani is like all the other socialists in that he learned how socialism works from books. He has not allowed for the fact that everyone who doesn't want to be taxed within an inch of their lives and has the desire and the means to leave the city will do so. Who will be left to generate the revenue needed for all the free stuff? The very people who are starting to think, "How bad could this be?" That's who.
Siena pollster Steven Greenberg may have said it best: “Enjoy the honeymoon, Mayor-elect Mamdani." But he left out "Good luck, New Yorkers, with your hardcore lesson in socialism. You're going to need it."
What do you think is going to happen when the young Democrat Socialists who voted for Mamdani get hit with a dose of reality??? #NYC #Mamdani #Socialism pic.twitter.com/jBCAbil93n
— Dan Adams (@DanAdamsShow) November 6, 2025
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