Former NYC council member: Voters must ‘unite to ward off socialism
Former New York City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli joins Varney & Co. to discuss a Fox poll showing Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani leading the mayor’s race, voter concerns over affordability and whether other candidates can block him.
A new poll of New York City voters finds that they have a more positive view of capitalism than socialism – though it's by a relatively close margin.
A Fox News poll conducted from Sept. 18 to Sept. 22 found that 48% of New Yorkers have a positive view of capitalism, with 21% reporting a strongly favorable view and 27% a somewhat favorable view.
By contrast, 40% of New Yorkers have an unfavorable view of capitalism, including 22% with a strongly unfavorable opinion of the economic system.
Socialism was slightly less popular, with 41% of New Yorkers reporting a favorable view – including 15% who have a strongly positive opinion of socialism. However, more New Yorkers have an unfavorable view of socialism, with 44% reporting an unfavorable opinion of socialism, including 29% with a strongly negative perspective.
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New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has become a popular figure among socialist-leaning Democrats. (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon / Reuters)
Among demographic groups, male New Yorkers had a 59% favorable view of capitalism as opposed to a 40% favorable view of socialism.
Female New Yorkers' views of capitalism were 38% favorable to 45% unfavorable, while socialism was viewed favorably by 41% and negatively by 40% of respondents.
New Yorkers identified as Democrats in the poll had a net negative view of capitalism – 41% favorable to 49% unfavorable. They had a net positive view of socialism with 49% favorable versus 35% unfavorable.
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New Yorkers held a slightly more favorable view of capitalism compared to socialism in the latest Fox News poll. (Ryan Rahman/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Independent New Yorkers favored capitalism by a fairly wide margin – just 27% viewed socialism as favorable with 52% holding an unfavorable opinion, while 45% held a positive view of capitalism as opposed to a 28% unfavorable rating.
Despite giving capitalism a modest edge over socialism overall, New Yorkers expressed a preference for socialist-leaning politicians in the poll.
New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani – the Democratic nominee in the New York City mayoral race who is a member of Democratic Socialists of America – was viewed favorably by 50% of New Yorkers who were polled, with a 38% unfavorable rating.
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Mamdani is considered the favorite in the New York City mayoral race. (Reuters/Bing Guan / Reuters)
Among respondents who expressed a favorable view of Mamdani, 20% said they like his policies and ideas, while another 16% said that he cares about people and New York City while looking out for working people. Additionally, 16% said Mamdani represents change and new ideas, while 11% said they like his policies that address affordability.
On the other hand, 28% of New Yorkers who have an unfavorable view of Mamdani said that his communist or socialist views were the reason they dislike the mayoral candidate. A further 11% said they don't like his positions on Israel and Gaza, or think that he's antisemitic, while another 11% said they don't like his policies or ideas.
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Another democratic socialist, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was viewed favorably by 61% of respondents compared with a 31% unfavorable rating among New Yorkers.
