(NewsNation) — New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist with a progressive agenda that some critics deride as “communist,” may not get the bodega owner vote.
His proposal for the city to own and operate five grocery stores — one in each borough — is not sitting well with the people who run corner markets where New Yorkers go for their essentials.
“You start with one idea like this — a foolish idea — it may spread, and we don’t want it to get to that,” Fernando Mateo, spokesperson for the United Bodegas of America, told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” on Thursday.
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Mamdani says he would redirect some of the money the city already spends to subsidize private grocers that operate in underserved areas to finance the public markets; some have questioned the accuracy of his figures. The state assemblyman, who upset former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the recent Democratic Party mayoral primary, says his plan would offer consumers a lower-cost alternative…