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Mamdani Faces Backlash Over Proposal for City-Run Grocery Stores

Opponents question the plan’s funding assumption of redirecting $140 million in corporate subsidies, warning that it would undercut private retailers

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Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayoral candidate, orders an iced coffee from a deli after a campaign event in Queens
Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayoral candidate, walks out of a deli with an iced coffee after a campaign event in the Queens borough of New York on June 19, 2025.
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Overview

  • The proposal currently lacks detailed operational and financial plans, leaving questions about cost estimates and governance structures unanswered.
  • Mamdani says he will use $140 million from corporate grocery subsidies to fund the stores, but critics argue that pool of public money does not exist.
  • Major grocers and industry associations, led by John Catsimatidis and Rafael Garcia, label the idea as oppressive socialism that threatens independent bodegas and supermarkets.
  • Supporters point to smaller U.S. experiments in Saint Paul, Kansas, and a Chicago feasibility study as evidence that publicly owned grocery stores can succeed.
  • The debate underscores a wider struggle over municipal intervention versus market-based strategies to fight food deserts and soaring grocery prices.