Could The Lights Really Go Out On Broadway?
New York City has always been the shining symbol of America at its best: vibrant, safe, innovative, and open for business. But now, the greatest city in the world faces a threat—not from a hurricane, blackout, or foreign adversary, but from within. His name is Zohran Mamdani. For those of you in the back, Mamdani is no run-of-the-mill progressive. He’s an avowed socialist who wants to defund the police, abolish prisons, raise taxes sky-high, push rent controls that will crush our real estate industry, and support fringe anti-Israel activists. If you think that sounds like a recipe for disaster, you’re right. This is the man Kathy Hochul and New York Democrats have chosen as their standard bearer. And make no mistake: if he is allowed anywhere near the levers of power in City Hall, the city’s very soul—and its future—is at stake.
Let’s start with crime. Under Mamdani’s vision, the NYPD would be gutted beyond recognition. This is a man who openly advocates for defunding the police, closing jails, and erasing accountability for violent offenders. At a time when subway crimes, random assaults, and retail thefts are already threatening to spiral out of control, Mamdani would turn New York into a playground for criminals. We don’t have to guess what happens when you weaken law enforcement: we’ve seen it before. After the city flirted with soft-on-crime policies and cashless bail, violent crime spiked, businesses fled, and tourists stayed away. Under Mamdani, these problems would not just return, they would become policy. Officers would be handcuffed, not criminals. Victims would be silenced, not offenders. The city that once set the global standard for policing would become the global example of collapse.
Next, consider Mamdani’s dangerous stance on Israel and the Jewish people. New York is home to the largest Jewish community outside of Israel. It has always been a city where Jews have thrived—culturally, economically, spiritually. But Mamdani, a vocal supporter of the BDS movement and other radical anti-Israel initiatives, represents a growing strain of antisemitism disguised as “activism.” He is the hero of those who have made college campuses into petri dishes of hate. This isn’t about policy disagreements over foreign affairs. It’s about a worldview that sees Israel as an enemy and excuses and even endorses violence against Jews. We’ve seen rising antisemitic incidents in New York City in recent years, from harassment in Times Square to vicious assaults in Brooklyn. A Mamdani administration would embolden the worst criminals and alienate a community that has been an integral part of New York for over a century. When our leaders send a message that Jewish lives and institutions are expendable or secondary to radical ideology, it isn’t just shameful—it’s dangerous. It puts synagogues, schools, businesses, and families at risk. And it threatens the very moral fabric of our city.
New York’s skyline is iconic. But beyond the skyscrapers and sparkling lights is an engine of economic vitality: real estate. Millions of jobs, billions in tax revenue, and the entire economic ecosystem of the city rely on a healthy, competitive housing and commercial market. Mamdani wants to crush it. His radical proposals include universal rent control, seizure of private property for public use, and punitive taxes that would force landlords (large and small alike) to abandon investments or leave the city altogether. If you want to see what happens when real estate is destroyed by radical politics, look no further than cities like San Francisco or Detroit in their darkest days. Empty storefronts, rising vacancies, collapsing tax bases, and a flight of capital that takes decades to reverse. That’s the Mamdani blueprint.
Put it all together, and what do you get? A city that is unrecognizable to the millions who built it, loved it, and fought for it. New York City thrives on balance: boldness and safety, creativity and order, diversity and unity. Under Mamdani, we would see a collapse in basic city services as tax revenues evaporate and public safety deteriorates. We would see a mass exodus of families and businesses, leaving behind only the most entrenched ideologues and those with no way out. We would see a collapse of the arts, sports, and cultural vibrancy that make New York unique. We like to joke about the lights going out on Broadway. Under Mamdani, it wouldn’t just be Broadway, it would be everywhere. From bustling restaurants to packed subway cars, from Wall Street to neighborhood delis, the city would dim in ways we can’t fully imagine.
If all of this sounds extreme, that’s because it is. And it should serve as a wake-up call to every New Yorker: the threat is real, and it’s here. But it isn’t too late. New Yorkers are strong, smart, and resilient. We must demand leaders who will protect public safety, support our Jewish community, defend private property rights, and champion economic growth. We need to remember our city’s success depends on balance—not ideological purity tests dreamt up by out-of-touch activists. Mamdani represents a tipping point. He isn’t just another left-wing politician; he’s a symbol of the total collapse of common sense in New York Democratic politics. And if voters don’t act, he could be the face of New York’s future.
New York has survived many threats. We rebuilt after 9/11. We pushed through blackouts and hurricanes. We came together after COVID-19. But what we are facing now is a crisis of leadership and vision. If we surrender to Mamdani’s radical agenda, we won’t just lose an election, we may lose the world’s most important city. The lights of Broadway, the hum of the streets, the soul of New York—all could go dark.
It’s time for New Yorkers of all backgrounds to come together and say enough is enough, and to reject extremism in every form. Because if we don’t, the lights really could go out on Broadway. And that would be a tragedy far beyond the stage. n
Congressman Anthony D’Esposito was recently nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as Inspector General of the Department of Labor. Previously, he served in Congress, representing New York’s 4th Congressional District. Anthony served as a Councilman in the Town of Hempstead after retiring from the NYPD as a highly decorated Detective. He also served as Chief of the Island Park Fire Department and helped lead the all-volunteer organization’s response to Super-Storm Sandy. The Congressman appears frequently on Fox News, Newsmax, ABC National News, and 77 WABC Sid and Friends in the Morning. To contact, email [email protected].
