Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy says he's weighing a run for political office, potentially challenging New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Speaking on Fox News' Jesse Watters Primetime on June 29 while promoting his new memoir, Cancel Me If You Can, Portnoy said that while he'd long assumed he would "never get involved in politics," recent events had given him pause. "We need leaders to step up," he said. "I feel like I could make a change. Maybe I do run in politics."
Asked directly whether he'd run against Mamdani, Portnoy replied, "If I was going to run, it would be here," though he was candid about the odds: "Can I win here? I have no idea." A vocal critic of the mayor, Portnoy has called Mamdani a "professional actor" and a "communist," and previously floated moving Barstool's offices out of the city.
A few caveats temper the buzz. Portnoy stopped short of any formal announcement, framing it only as something he's considering, and the next New York City mayoral election isn't until 2029. He also acknowledged the steep math, with registered Democrats outnumbering Republicans in the city by roughly five to one. Mamdani, 34, elected in November as the city's first Muslim and first South Asian mayor, has not responded to the remarks.
Sources: The Hill, Fox News, Newsweek.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy says he's weighing a run for political office, potentially challenging New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Speaking on Fox News' Jesse Watters Primetime on June 29 while promoting his new memoir, Cancel Me If You Can, Portnoy said that while he'd long assumed he would "never get involved in politics," recent events had given him pause. "We need leaders to step up," he said. "I feel like I could make a change. Maybe I do run in politics."
Asked directly whether he'd run against Mamdani, Portnoy replied, "If I was going to run, it would be here," though he was candid about the odds: "Can I win here? I have no idea." A vocal critic of the mayor, Portnoy has called Mamdani a "professional actor" and a "communist," and previously floated moving Barstool's offices out of the city.
A few caveats temper the buzz. Portnoy stopped short of any formal announcement, framing it only as something he's considering, and the next New York City mayoral election isn't until 2029. He also acknowledged the steep math, with registered Democrats outnumbering Republicans in the city by roughly five to one. Mamdani, 34, elected in November as the city's first Muslim and first South Asian mayor, has not responded to the remarks.
Sources: The Hill, Fox News, Newsweek.
