Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Newsmax on Wednesday that New York is being hurt by a series of "disastrous" policies imposed by Democrats.
"Earlier today I announced that I will be running for reelection to Congress in large measure because there's so much we have to do," he told "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE."
The impact on New York, and New York City in particular, of policies managed by progressive Democrats has the potential to spread nationwide, Lawler said.
"What happens in New York doesn't just stay in New York, and we've seen obviously one disastrous policy after the next," he said.
Lawler blamed Gov. Kathy Hochul, former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, and current Mayor Eric Adams for wasting billions of dollars supporting illegal immigrants.
Then he referred to New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, the self-described democratic socialist who he says is "engaging in Marxist theory, talking about seizing the means of production, banning the ownership of private property, wanting to freeze the rent and provide free busing and free transit and government-owned grocery stores."
Lawler said Mamdani's proposals, which include city-managed grocery stores, are so radical that he's introduced legislation to require the Department of Agriculture and the Federal Trade Commission to work up a report on the impact of that kind of policy, "and how that might undercut small and medium-sized grocery stores, how it will impact our farmers and, you know, manufacturers."
He said voters need to know what they're facing.
"You know, what happens with a government-run grocery store? There's no food. This is the prospects of complete disaster for New York, not just on something like this, but obviously Wall Street leaving in droves out of New York," he said.
Lawler said businesses are leaving New York in anticipation of a disaster, adding: "It's the financial capital of the world. Those buildings didn't get built through socialism and communism. They got built through capitalism and access to capital."
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Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.