Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, has once again raised the possibility of a political career, recently stating his ambition to challenge New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
During a recent question-and-answer session with former Barstool Sports CEO Erika Ayers Badan, Portnoy voiced his interest in running against Mamdani. "I want to go right for Mamdani," Portnoy said, though he expressed doubt about his chances of winning in New York City. "I don't think I could win."
Portnoy criticized Mamdani, stating that the mayor has "never had a real job," contrasting it with his own experience building Barstool Sports. He cited his work with initiatives like the Barstool Fund and efforts to support pizzerias as examples of his contributions. "Unlike Mamdani, who's never had a real job, I've had a real job and I've actually done a lot of good when I wasn't doing it to run for office," Portnoy stated. He also expressed concern over Mamdani's stated intentions for the city, suggesting they were "pretty crazy things."
Portnoy, 49, suggested he has significant support in the area but questioned his ability to win against a Democratic candidate in the city. He also raised the prospect of scrutiny over his past business dealings if he were to enter politics. "If I ran, can you imagine what they would do with the Business Insider stuff," he said.
This is not the first time Portnoy has spoken about Mamdani or his own political aspirations. In November, following Mamdani's election as mayor, Portnoy expressed relief that he no longer lived in New York. He quoted a video on X, formerly Twitter, that described Mamdani as a "great actor" and concluded, "Scott Jennings sums up Mamdani perfectly. But if this is what the people of NYC want then so be it. Thank god I don't live there anymore."
Previously, Portnoy had stated on a Barstool podcast that he disliked Mamdani's ideology and had considered moving Barstool's offices out of New York City because of it. However, he decided against it to avoid disrupting the lives of his New York-based employees.
In an earlier appearance on Jesse Watters Primetime, Portnoy explained that his stance on avoiding politics had shifted due to what he perceives as the "crazy" and "scary" reality brought by the Democratic Socialist mayor. He likened the situation to "letting the fox into the hen house." Portnoy acknowledged his comfortable life in Nantucket but suggested a sense of duty might compel him to run for office. "Sometimes I do feel like it's my duty, I can't turn away," he said. "Like I could make a change, maybe I do run in politics."