New York City mayoral candidate and Democratic Socialist Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani is doubling down on his push for government-run grocery stores — even as real-world examples suggest the idea doesn’t work.
In an appearance on CNN NewsNight Friday, Mamdani defended his plan to spend $60 million of taxpayer money to open five city-run grocery stores, one in each borough. He insisted the program would deliver “cheaper groceries,” not free food, and claimed that food has become a luxury New Yorkers are being “priced out of.”
CNN host Abby Phillip pressed Mamdani on why the government — which routinely struggles to run basic services — is the solution to food deserts, rather than partnering with the private sector.
“Why is the government a better solution... than just working with the private sector to do what they know how to do, which is run grocery stores?” she asked.
Mamdani responded by pointing to the “promise” of a public option and said urban studies support his case. But when challenged with the failure of a government-run grocery store in Kansas City — now on the brink of shutting down due to high crime and mismanagement — Mamdani dismissed the criticism.
“We have to prove not only the efficacy, but the excellence of this idea,” he said, arguing that for every failure, there's another city "considering" such a program.
In other words, Mamdani wants to gamble taxpayer dollars on a model that has already shown itself to be ineffective, hoping this time it will be different.
He also attempted to justify the $60 million price tag by comparing it to what the city already spends subsidizing corporate supermarkets — a classic bait-and-switch that ignores the inefficiencies and bureaucratic waste inherent in government-run operations.
Mamdani’s idea is less about solving food access issues and more about imposing ideology on public policy. His approach assumes private businesses are the problem, not rising crime, stifling regulations, or economic mismanagement that have driven stores out of lower-income areas.
The reality is that New Yorkers don’t need government-run grocery chains. They need safe neighborhoods, fewer taxes, and a city government that stops penalizing business owners at every turn. Mamdani’s plan is a costly experiment in socialist wish-casting — and struggling families shouldn’t have to pay the price.
Editor’s Note: The Democrat Party has never been less popular as voters reject its globalist agenda.
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