New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani walks in the 57th annual NYC Pride March on Sunday, June 28, 2026, in New York. Daniel Di Martino, an economist and research fellow at the Manhattan Institute, said Mamdani’s proposed city-owned grocery stores are the strongest example of the mayor embracing socialist economics. For Di Martino, the grocery stores are less about groceries than about changing expectations. Some experts, including Di Martino, believe that Mamdani’s tax policy could lead to an exodus of Manhattan’s upper class. While the measure represents Mamdani’s first major tax policy to become law, Di Martino contends that singling out wealthy taxpayers risks doing more harm than good.