A new poll suggests that more than a quarter of New Yorkers are preparing to pack their bags if far-left Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani becomes the city’s next mayor — a warning sign that his radical brand of politics could trigger an exodus from the five boroughs.

The Victory Insights survey, released Friday, found that 26.5% of respondents said they would consider leaving New York City if Mamdani — a Democratic Socialist of America lawmaker from Queens — wins the November 4 election.

The poll’s summary was blunt: “New York City seems to be nearing an inflection point — one that could reshape the city for years to come.”

The data paints a sobering picture of a city divided over its future. Nearly 40% of voters said they believe Mamdani poses a “threat to New York City’s future,” including almost one-third of Democrats — an extraordinary level of distrust within his own party base.

“It would come as a major surprise if anyone other than Mamdani is elected mayor,” the pollsters noted, “however, many voters are extremely concerned about that outcome.”

Early voting began Saturday, with Election Day less than two weeks away.

Despite widespread anxiety, Mamdani’s path to City Hall appears all but guaranteed. The poll shows him crushing former Governor Andrew Cuomo by nearly 20 points in a three-way race, 46.7% to 28.6%, with Republican Curtis Sliwa trailing far behind at 16.2%. Just 8.5% remain undecided.

But the commanding lead has done little to calm fears among New Yorkers worried about Mamdani’s record of anti-Israel rhetoric, flirtations with extremist figures, and calls to “globalize the intifada.”

Across the city, small but vocal protests have emerged — including demonstrators wearing “Anti Mamdani Social Club” shirts and red MAGA hats at rallies — reflecting how the race has polarized voters from Park Slope to Staten Island.

The poll underscores a stark generational and ideological divide. Younger voters and those aligned with progressive groups view Mamdani as a reformer who will challenge entrenched power. But moderates, independents, and business leaders see him as a destabilizing force whose policies could drive jobs, investment, and residents out of New York altogether.

“Mamdani represents the farthest left this city has ever gone,” said one Manhattan Democrat who requested anonymity. “People are genuinely scared — not just of his policies, but of what his movement represents.”

Victory Insights called the poll’s findings “a reflection of unease across party lines.”

“Thirty-nine percent of voters believe Mamdani is a threat to the future of the city,” the firm wrote. “Cuomo and Sliwa voters are widely considering fleeing if he’s elected.”

New York’s business community has warned for months that a Mamdani administration could accelerate the post-pandemic population slide, which already saw half a million residents leave the city between 2020 and 2023. His proposals — including steep tax hikes on real estate and corporate profits, rent freezes, and sweeping cuts to police funding — have drawn fierce backlash from moderates.

“Mamdani’s agenda reads like a checklist for economic collapse,” said one longtime Brooklyn developer. “You can’t run a city on ideology.”

Still, Mamdani’s campaign has dismissed the criticism as fearmongering from “wealthy elites protecting the status quo.”

If Mamdani’s victory looks inevitable, the more pressing question may be who — and how many — will still call the city home when he takes office.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)