Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, is contemplating a run for New York City mayor, stating his intent to challenge incumbent Zohran Mamdani. Portnoy voiced his considerations during an appearance on "Jesse Watters Primetime" on Monday night.
Portnoy, 49, cited what he described as a "crazy" and "scary" reality in New York City under Mamdani's leadership. He characterized the current political climate as a failure of Democratic Socialists to manage the city effectively. "I think what the Democrats have done is they've let the fox into the hen house, and now he's just running rampant and carrying them all out," Portnoy said of Mamdani. He added, "Sometimes I do feel like it's my duty, I can't turn away. Like I could make a change, maybe I do run in politics."
When asked if he would run against Mamdani, Portnoy responded, "I would love to run against - if I was gonna run, it would be here." He acknowledged uncertainty about his electoral prospects, stating, "I have no idea, I don't know the demographics, whether I'd get enough votes. There's a lot of people who like me in New York City, I know that."
Portnoy also drew a parallel to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. After a user suggested it would be difficult for Portnoy to gain traction in the city due to being from Massachusetts, he used AI to confirm Bloomberg's Massachusetts origin. "Thank you," Portnoy replied, seemingly to highlight that an outsider could previously win the mayoral office.
He asserted his qualifications for the role, contrasting his own experience with that of other politicians. "I've had a real job, I've done real things, unlike these clown politicians who never had a job and have never been in the real world for a day," he stated. Portnoy pointed to his past charitable efforts, such as the Barstool Fund, as examples of his positive impact on New York City.
This is not the first time Portnoy has expressed strong opinions about Mamdani's tenure. In November, following Mamdani's election, Portnoy commented on X, formerly Twitter, that he was thankful he no longer lived in New York City. He also revealed that he had considered moving Barstool's offices out of the city due to his dislike for Mamdani, but decided against it to avoid disrupting his employees' lives.
"If it was just me, I would move the company out of New York City because I hate this guy so much," he said on a company podcast last week. "But I won't because there's a lot of people in New York, and I don't want to change their lifestyle for it."