In the recently concluded Democratic primary for New York City mayor, state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani emerged victorious, beating out former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, among others, for the nomination.
One proposal that galvanized both supporters and opponents was Mamdani's plan to open five city-owned grocery stores—one in each borough. In a campaign video, he called the stores a "public option" like in health care; he said they would not pay rent or property taxes, they would "operate without a profit motive," and their "mission [would be] lower prices, not price gouging." (As of January 2025, the grocery industry's average net profit margin was under 2 percent.)
Some have come to Mamdani's defense, saying city-owned grocery stores are not as radical as they sound—in fact, some states already have them, without becoming socialist hellscapes. Some have compared this plan to states that control liquor sales. But in each case, the comparison is unflattering to Mamdani's proposal.
