Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy recently appeared on Jesse Watters’ talk show on Fox News and shared that he would “love to run against” New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“I’ve always thought I would never get involved in politics. This, and what is going on, has actually made me pause that thought… Sometimes I do feel like it’s my duty. I can’t turn away. I feel like I could make a change. Maybe I do run in politics. Let me say this. I spend a lot of my day losing my mind at what’s happening right now, especially in New York. This really, really, really worries me,” Portnoy, 49, noted.
Calling it a “scary time” for New Yorkers and claiming “leaders need to step up,” the business responded affirmatively when asked whether he would want to run against Mamdani. Dave Portnoy explained:
“I would love to run against [Mamdani]. If I was gonna run, it would be here. Can I win here? I have no idea. I don’t know the demographics, whether I can get enough votes. There’s a lot of people who like me in New York City. I’ve done a lot of good in New York City when I wasn’t thinking about politics – whether that’s the Barstool fund or pizza places. So, it wasn’t for show. I’ve had a real job.”
Portnoy never listed his specific concerns about the current NYC mayor. However, he took credit for doing “real things” unlike the “clown politicians” who he claimed to have “never had a job” or “never been in the real world for a day.” Dave added:
“But the people voting for these people who just won are like these young, white Ivy League-ish elite-ish… Like, who are they? They’ll never vote for me. They’ll never believe in common sense.”
In the wake of Dave Portnoy’s latest rant and considering running against Zohran Mamdani, social media users are having diverse reactions. For instance, Threads user @missbicks shared a screenshot from his Jesse Watters interview and captioned it:
“Dave Portnoy — the Spencer Pratt of NYC.”
Many people joined the conversation and shared similar reactions on X.
“Apparently managing New York City isn’t a real job, but writing blog posts about pizza is. Good to know where we’ve set the bar,” a user mocked.
“@stoolpresidente didn’t you learn anything from Spencer Pratt’s embarrassing campaign for mayor of Los Angeles? Just because you’re a spoiled ‘pick me’ douche bag doesn’t mean you should be the f**king mayor of New York City. You f**king dunce,” another user wrote directly addressing Portnoy.
“Spencer Pratt 2: Dave Portnoy,” an individual sarcastically wrote.
“Yes, offering social media unsolicited reviews of pizza definitely makes you qualified,” one person joked.
Others defended Portnoy in the comments.
“Dave Portnoy, they’re going to doubt you. They’re going to tell you you can’t win against the most popular New York mayor in 100 years. They’re going to tell you reviewing pizza is not a ‘real job.’ You can’t listen to them. Portnoy 2029 is going to change politics forever,” a supporter wrote.
“He’d be a better choice than what they have,” another fan commented.
Zohran Mamdani has yet to respond to Dave Portnoy.
Dave Portnoy previously showed his disdain for Zohran Mamdani
Over the last several months, Dave Portnoy has openly shared his disdain for Zohran Mamdani. In fact, even before the NYC mayor was elected, Portnoy shared in a November rant how he would move his Barstool Sports office to New Jersey.
“Honestly, I’ve given that a lot of thought — he’s definitely going to win — going to Hoboken or Jersey City or something. I don’t want to [freaking] have an office (in Manhattan). But then we have all those people who, like, that [messes] up their life because I hate the guy… so it’s a Catch-22,” Dave said.
Portnoy explained it was a “principled stand” and claimed Mamdani “hates” the USA.
“I can’t stand the thought of (Mamdani) running New York City. I can’t stand it. Then a part of me is like, how much will actually change? But I really have given it thought. I told our finance guys to start looking around for property, no joke. Take a principled stand. Thirty-something-year-old Communist running New York City who’s never had a job in his life, hates America, doesn’t seem like the best.”
Immediately after Mamdani’s historic victory, Portnoy wrote on X:
“If this is what the people of NYC want, then [sic] so be it. Thank god, I don’t live there anymore.”
Before that, in July 2025, Dave Portnoy appeared on Fox News’ Varney & Co. and claimed:
“It’s a very scary time. I can’t believe that this guy may be the mayor of New York City. This is one of the worst, scariest candidates. He calls himself a democratic socialist; he’s not; he’s a socialist. He’s closer to a communist. He said it, he’s on the record saying he wants to put as many socialists in power so he can seize the means of production.”
The businessman turned internet personality claimed Mamdani “hates” capitalism and wanted a “fundamental shift” in what had “built” the United States, and didn’t “really particularly hide it.” Dave Portnoy said Zohran would “side with terrorists” sitting in a city where 9/11 took place.
“He’d be quicker to blame the finance people in the building than the people who flew the planes into the buildings.”
Later, during the 2026 NBA Finals, Dave Portnoy criticized Zohran’s speech following the Knicks’ win. Last week, the sports businessman accused the NYC mayor of turning it into an “anti-American city.”
Edited by Pallavi K