Could Dave Portnoy be eyeing a run for City Hall?
The Barstool Sports founder said he would consider seeking elected office, citing his frustration with New York City’s current leadership. Portnoy added that he would “love to run against” Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“I would love to run against him. If I were gonna run, it would be here,” Portnoy said Monday night on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” after being asked whether he would consider challenging New York City’s democratic socialist mayor.
Portnoy, widely known for his One Bite pizza reviews, told host Jesse Watters that he once believed he “would never get involved in politics.” But he said the prospect of being governed by “dummies” has made him rethink that stance.
“I spend a lot of my day losing my mind with what’s happening, especially in New York,” Portnoy said.
He also took aim at the Democratic Party, criticizing the rise of left-wing socialist candidates who have scored major victories in recent elections while running under the party’s banner.
“What the Democrats have done is they’ve let the fox into the hen house. And now he’s just running rampant and kicking them all out,” Portnoy said, in an apparent jab at Mamdani.
Last Tuesday, three far-left congressional candidates endorsed by the mayor won their primaries, defeating establishment Democratic rivals.
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The New England native admitted that his thoughts on entering politics change based on the day.
Some days, he said he has no desire to get into its “mess.”
On other days, civic-mindedness has gotten the better of the man nicknamed “El Presidente.”
“Sometimes, I do feel like it’s my duty. I can’t turn away. I feel like I could make a change. Maybe I do run in politics,” Portnoy said.
As for his political bona fides, Portnoy said that he’s had “a real job” and “done real things.”
“Unlike these clown politicians who have never had a job and who’ve never been in the real world for a day,” he added.
But would the Massachusetts resident be successful in New York? He thinks that question is still up in the air.
“Can I win here? I don’t know. I don’t know the demographics, if I could get enough votes,” Portnoy said told Watters.
“There’s a lot of people who like me in New York City. I know that,” he said.
