Even before Zohran Mamdani was elected New York City Mayor, Bartsool Sports founder Dave Portnoy was loud in his opposition to the Democratic Socialist. Portnoy’s disdain for Mamdani has only gotten more apparent in recent months and weeks. Now, it sounds like Portnoy is considering doing something about it.

During a recent interview on Fox News, Portnoy revealed that he is considering stepping into politics and challenging Mamdani, saying that he feels like he can “make a change.”

Portnoy vs. Mamdani

Over the past several months, Portnoy has made no secret about how he feels about Mamdani, even threatening to move the Barstool Sports offices from New York City to New Jersey once he took office.

“Honestly, I’ve given that a lot of thought — he’s definitely going to win — going to Hoboken or Jersey City or something,” Portnoy said back in November. “I don’t want to [freaking] have an office (in Manhattan). But then we have all those people who, like, that [messes] up their life because I hate the guy … so it’s a Catch-22.”

Portnoy made it clear that it was more about a “principled stand,” claiming that Mamdani “hates America.”

“I can’t stand the thought of (Mamdani) running New York City. I can’t stand it,” Portnoy said during a stream. “Then a part of me is like, how much will actually change? But I really have given it thought. I told our finance guys to start looking around for property, no joke. Take a principled stand. Thirty-something-year-old Communist running New York City who’s never had a job in his life, hates America, doesn’t seem like the best.”

Portnoy became even more outspoken against Mamdani throughout the New York Knicks’ 2026 NBA Finals run, criticizing his speech at the team’s victory celebration. Then, last week, he claimed that Mamdani and the other Democratic Socialists in the city were trying to turn New York into an “anti-American city.”

Now, it sounds like Portnoy might challenge them directly.

‘I Would Love to Run’

During a recent interview with Jesse Waters on Fox News, Portnoy opened up a bit more about his disdain for Mamdani and the other Democratic Socialists in the city as he revealed that he is at least considering a run at politics.

“I’ve always thought I would never get involved in politics,” Portnoy said on the show. “This, and what is going on, has actually made me pause that thought.”

Portnoy called it a “scary time,” without elaborating, saying “we need leaders to step up.”

“Sometimes I do feel like it’s my duty. I can’t turn away,” Portnoy said. “I feel like I could make a change. Maybe I do run in politics.”

“Let me say this. I spend a lot of my day losing my mind at what’s happening right now, especially in New York,” Portnoy said. “This really, really, really worries me.”

Portnoy did not lay out any specific concerns with Mamdani. However, he did say that he would “love to” run against him in an election.

“I would love to run against [Mamdani],” Portnoy said. “If I was gonna run, it would be here. Can I win here? I have no idea. I don’t know the demographics, whether I can get enough votes. There’s a lot of people who like me in New York City. I’ve done a lot of good in New York City when I wasn’t thinking about politics – whether that’s the Barstool fund, pizza places.”

“It wasn’t for show,” he continued. “I’ve had a real job, I’ve done real things, unlike these clown politicians who have never had a job and never been in the real world for a day.”

Portnoy then seemed to acknowledge that he probably would not have support amongst New York City voters.

“But the people voting for these people who just won are like these young, white Ivy League-ish elite-ish…” Portnoy said. “Like, who are they? They’ll never vote for me. They’ll never believe in common sense.”

‘Mamdani would absolutely dog walk this guy’

While it’s not clear whether or not Portnoy would actually run, the very thought of a showdown between the Barstool Sports founder and Mamdani led to a lot of reactions on social media.

“He can run for mayor on one condition: if he loses, he has to leave the city forever and never come back,” one user wrote in a post on X.

“Mamdani would absolutely dog walk this guy,” someone else added.

“Mamdani would win in a historic landslide if Dave Portnoy of all people ran against him,” another person wrote.

“One of Trump’s many awful legacies will be convincing D-List celebrities that they understand politics,” someone else added.

“R or D aside, I’m pretty sure Mamdani would win an election vs David by Jong-Un margins,” another commenter wrote.

We’ll have to see whether or not it ultimately happens. It would certainly be entertaining.

The post ‘Mamdani would win in a historic landslide’: Dave Portnoy sparks reactions for considering NYC mayor run appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.