Some of New York City’s beloved bodega owners and community leaders are speaking out against Democratic socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, saying they feel betrayed by a bodega business leader who endorsed him.
“I don’t know how my friend got convinced to say that, when all of the bodega[s] together, they feel that they were betrayed by someone that’s supposed to represent [us] and they know the problem that we have been facing with the public safety. That’s our No. 1 concern that we have,” Bodega and Small Business Association President Francisco Marte said on “Fox & Friends First” Friday.
Marte’s comments followed the resignation of United Bodegas of America co-founder Fernando Mateo this week, after the group’s president, Radhames Rodriguez, publicly endorsed Mamdani on behalf of the organization.
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After stepping down, Mateo announced he would be founding a new bodega coalition called the “Bodega Alliance.”
“We are not in any position to endorse anyone. We are in a position to expose what our concerns are and what we feel like government should treat us,” Mateo told the New York Post. “Radhames Rodriguez violated not only the trust of every bodega owner that we respect but the trust of the organization and the leaders of that organization.”
One of Mamdani’s main policy proposals, according to his campaign website, is to create a city “Department of Community Safety” designed to “prevent violence” by investing in mental health programs and crisis response teams.
“Remember, that [Mamdani] was the one who create[d] the problems that we are facing now with their own safety. He was the one that supported ‘defund the police,’ not prosecuting, not pressing charges to the criminals. So we’re gonna have huge problems,” Marte said.
Additionally, Mamdani has proposed the controversial city-owned grocery stores – which some local owners fear could put them out of business. Marte argued that government-owned grocery stores are something that has “failed all the time.”
“They want to use our tax-paid money to compete with us,” Marte said. “If we have Mamdani there, we will disappear as a small business because his platform is to destroy the small business, and then New York. It would create huge chaos in the economy of New York City.”
“I [have] been telling the people, ‘thank God I have [got] a lot of people that they are not voting for him,’ because I said — listen, he cannot do what he’s offering. He just wants to say that he’s offered you so many things, free stuff, because like that, you can vote for him,” Marte added.
The Mamdani campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
As of Thursday, Mamdani’s lead in the mayoral race has narrowed ahead of Tuesday’s Election Day. A new Fox News Poll found Mamdani with a 16-point lead: 47% back him, while 15% favor Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and 31% go for independent candidate Andrew Cuomo.
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Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.
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