Why 'Miami Realtor' Is Trending After Zohran Mamdani's New York Victory

Zohran Mamdani has defeated Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa to become the new Mayor of New York City.

05 Nov 2025, 12:20 · NDTV

Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani has been elected the next Mayor of New York City. And, now, the 'Miami realtor' meme has taken over the Internet. The wealthy New Yorkers are already said to be plotting their escape routes, fearing his progressive agenda, with Florida and Connecticut being among the favourite hotspots.

Mamdani is all set to be officially sworn in as New York City mayor on January 1. The 34-year-old defeated Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa to emerge as the first Muslim mayor of New York and its youngest in a century.

On November 3, the Daily Mail highlighted a poll suggesting that nearly a million people in New York are preparing to leave the city if Mamdani wins the election. Conducted by JL Partners, the survey found that 9 per cent of people in the city would "definitely" leave. In total, New York City has a population of 8.5 million.

The report stated that about 7 lakh citizens' departure would mark "one of the biggest mass exoduses in American history".

Moreover, it was found in the poll that another 25 per cent would "consider" leaving the city if Mamdani gets elected as mayor. About 7 per cent of people earning more than $250,000 would "definitely" leave New York City, the survey suggested.

As per the Financial Times, fear around Mamdani's left-wing policies is driving away "wealthy" individuals in New York. It all started in June when he clinched the Democratic nomination in the mayoral primaries.

Isaac Toledano, a luxury real estate developer, earlier joked that a lot of people in Florida are "going to give Mamdani an award for being the best broker of the year”.

The report added that Toledano is among the multiple Miami-based developers who look forward to cashing in on the anticipated influx of wealthy New Yorkers escaping to the Sunshine State.

"A lot of people are worried...We already see a lot of New York buyers, their brokers and agents, and representatives, already looking to buy real estate and getting information," CBS News quoted Toledano as saying.

Why Does This Matter?

Mamdani's campaign has heavily focused on the high cost of living in New York City. He has promised that he will freeze the rents that stabilised tenants are required to pay.

He aims to freeze rents for two million rent-stabilised tenants. The housing increases for them are governed by the city. Also, Mamdani has promised to build 2,00,000 additional homes over the next decade.

However, his critics have argued that Mamdani's policies will deter maintenance and investment.

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