Dave Portnoy eyes run for mayor of New York to take out Mamdani and compares himself to Michael Bloomberg

By EMMA RICHTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 19:15, 30 June 2026 | Updated: 19:28, 30 June 2026 Dave Portnoy said he is considering running for New York City mayor in a bid to oust Zohran Mamdani.  The Barstool Sports founder, who is a vocal critic of Mamdani, revealed his potential political prospects during an episode of Jesse Watters Primetime on Monday night.  During his interview, Portnoy, 49, told Watters that he has long said he wouldn't get involved in politics, but his tune has changed because of the 'crazy' and 'scary' reality that he believes the Democratic Socialist mayor has brought to the Big Apple.   'I think what the Democrats have done is they've let the fox into the hen house, and now he's just running rampant and carrying them all out,' Portnoy said of Mamdani.  'So it's a scary time. We need leaders to step up. Depending on what day you catch me in Nantucket, when I roll out of bed, I have a nice ocean view, and it's like why do I wanna ruin my life and get involved in this mess because I know what comes with it.  'But sometimes I do feel like it's my duty, I can't turn away. Like I could make a change, maybe I do run in politics,' he added.  Watters then asked him: 'You might run against Mamdani?'  'I would love to run against - 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'd get enough votes. There's a lot of people who like me in New York City, I know that,' Portnoy responded.   The Barstool Sports founder, who is a vocal critic of Mamdani, revealed his potential political prospects during an episode of Jesse Watters Primetime on Monday night Portnoy also appeared to take a swipe at the Democratic Socialist mayor, stating: 'I've had a real job, I've done real things, unlike these clown politicians who never had a job and have never been in the real world for a day' The Jewish-American then took to X on Tuesday morning, hitting out at a user who claimed it would be 'tough' for Portnoy to gain traction in New York City because he is from Massachusetts.  Portnoy replied by asking Grok, the platform's AI chatbot, where former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is from.  Bloomberg was also born and raised in Massachusetts, and after the chatbot confirmed that, Portnoy said 'Thank you',  seemingly trying to make a point that someone from out of state has won the mayoral title before.  During his discussion with Watters, Portnoy explained why he thinks he would be a good fit to run the city.  'I've done a lot of good in New York City when I wasn't thinking about politics, whether it's the Barstool fund, pizza places - so it wasn't for show,' he said before appearing to take a swipe at Mamdani.  'I've had a real job, I've done real things, unlike these clown politicians who never had a job and have never been in the real world for a day,' he added. Portnoy's comments come just months after he said he was thankful that he no longer lives in New York after Mamdani was elected.  In November, after Mamdani was announced as the newest mayor of New York City, Portnoy quoted a video of CNN's Scott Jennings branding him a 'great actor' on X and concluded: 'Scott Jennings sums up Mamdani perfectly. But if this is what the people of NYC want then so be it. Thank god I don't live there anymore.' The Jewish-American then took to X on Tuesday morning, hitting out at a user who claimed it would be 'tough' for Portnoy to gain traction in New York City because he is from Massachusetts Bloomberg was also born and raised in Massachusetts, and after the chatbot confirmed that, Portnoy said 'Thank you', seemingly trying to make a point that someone from out of state has won the mayoral title before Portnoy has previously expressed his disdain for Mamdani and his left-wing ideology, which has left him weighing up whether to move Barstool's offices out of New York City.  'If it was just me, I would move the company out of New York City because I hate this guy so much,' he said on his company's 'The Unnamed Show' podcast last week. 'But I won't because there's a lot of people in New York, and I don't want to change their lifestyle for it.' The Daily Mail approached Portnoy for comment.   No comments have so far been submitted. 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