Ron DeSantis warns that Zohran Mamdani would sideline cops for social workers

Florida’s Governor continues to weigh in on the New York City mayoral race, warning against voters choosing Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani.

“He doesn’t think that you should have law enforcement in dangerous parts of the city, that you should send in social workers. See how that works out for you. It ain’t going to work out well,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said while speaking to media in Santa Rosa Beach.

DeSantis’ comments seem to be rooted in campaign platform planks from Mamdani, who seeks to institute a Department of Community Safety if he’s elected.

“Our City currently offers a patchwork of programs for dealing with issues like gun violence and mental health crises, but they are underfunded, inaccessible or unable to produce long-term safety. These programs require interagency coordination and implementation at a citywide scale,” Mamdani posits.

The candidate believes that police “have a critical role to play,” but argues “relying on them to deal with our frayed social safety net … prevents them from doing their actual jobs.”

As he did during a Monday press conference, DeSantis predicted New Yorkers would flee to Florida if the new Mayor is elected.

“I can tell you if this socialist Mayor candidate wins in New York City, you’re going to see real estate value skyrocket even more in Palm Beach, because people are going to get out of that city.”

The Governor’s comments are tame compared to others on the Right, including National Review, who denounced Mamdani as a “public menace.”

“He is worse than a democratic socialist; he is — as evidenced by an adult life’s worth of political actions — a deeply committed pro-Hamas activist and advocate for the abolition of Israel.”

Per the New York Post, Mamdani is one of several candidates in the Democratic ranked choice Primary. He’s facing City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Pastor Michael Blake, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, City Comptroller Brad Lander, state Sens. Zellnor Myrie and Jessica Ramos, former NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer and businessman Whitney Tilson.