Only 7% voted communist, but 100% of New Yorkers will be punished

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How just 7% of voters, mostly young and white, led Mamdani’s NYC socialist election surge

Just 7% of active voters supported Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s radical ally Darializa Avila Chevalier over establishment Democrat Rep. Adriano Espaillat in Tuesday’s main event primary, data shows.

The overall low turnout — roughly 17% of Democratic voters citywide — came as Avila Chevalier and two other Mamdani-backed House primary winners captured a mix of high-earning, young, white and black voters, analysts found.

Insiders also credited the Democratic Socialists of America’s formidable field operations for turning out voters who’d back Mamdani’s preferred candidates — setting the stage for a potential party takeover by the DSA.

“This was the red wedding and the victims of the red wedding were the Democrats,” said JC Polanco, a political analyst and professor at the University of Mount Saint Vincent in The Bronx.

“It’s a hostile takeover by the Democratic Socialists of America who have demonstrated that they have the organization to win primaries where there is no voter turnout,” Polanco told The Post Wednesday.

“In some of these districts nobody votes, it’s a very small turnout and the Democratic Socialists of America come in and win. They’ve taken over the party locally.”

Even for ultra-liberal New York City, the wins by Mamdani’s candidates ultimately came from small slivers of the city’s approximately 3 million active Democratic voters, data shows.

Avila Chevalier drew roughly 33,000 votes from 449,000 active voters in the 13th House District covering much of Upper Manhattan, including Harlem, and a swath of the Bronx, preliminary election data shows.

Steve Rattner, an economic analyst, posted on X that election data showed college-educated, non-Hispanic voters were more likely to vote for Avila Chevalier.

“Last night’s big wins for Mamdani-backed candidates were driven by young college grads” [because they’re all stupid, ignorant, envious do-nothings — you know — typical products of our modern institutes of higher learing. ED]

One more sale of note

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1 Old Church Road #6 has sold to Pleasantville buyers for $3.1 million on a guide price of $2.995. Listing agent Suzy Armstrong tells me that’s a record price for this complex, and would Suzy lie to me? Never!

She also mentioned it’s great for the old and feeble (she actually used a kinder term out of deference to my own dottage) because it’s one-floor living and an elevator (to the rooftop? She didn’t say).

In any event, nice job, Suzy.

Sales reported

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Four of note, starting at the top (of the price range)

An object lesson in leaving well enough alone

167 Zaccheus Mead Lane, $10.4 million on an asking price of $10.995. It’s been a long slog for this property over the years and I summarized much of that history in a previous post.

The basic points:

  • Sold for $6.2 million in 1999

  • After being remuddled by the new owners, they put it up for sale @$10.5 million, and settled for $5.935 in 2018.

  • Still more work performed by these owners, and offered it for sale this year at tge aforesaid $10.995, and had a contract in 28 days.

at least they preserved much of the 1904 front

10 Echo Lane, guide price, $3.495 million, selling price $4.0. Nine days on market

Echo Lane

74 Long Meadow Road, NoPo, $3.710 million. Listing agent and clever Dutch Maid Daphne Lamsvelt-Pol priced it at just $3.275 with this not-unexpected result. Imagine what she could do if she were an Edam Cheese vendor.

“Swamp Vue”, Riverside Achers

1000 Lake Avenue, $1.5 got, $1.3 asked. Six days. A land sale, 2.67 acres in the 4-acre zon.

Nobody's gonna steal MY zinneas!

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42 Bruce Park Drive, built in 1924 and last renovated in 1997 has been put up for sale at $4.125 million. Brother Gideon noticed that there are some significant exclusions from what’s to be conveyed and like me, wonders what possesses sellers who cling so fiercely to their curtains, pizza ovens and, here, their beefsteak tomatoes and even poor old grandpapa, who undoubtedly just wants to rest in peace.

Exclude 1. Weathervane on family room roof 2. Lamb on dining room fireplace 3. Sconces and chandelier in dining room 4. Chandelier in entrance hall 5. Sconces in livingroom 6. Sconces on upstairs hallway 7. Select Peonies from garden 8. Daffodil bulbs and some assorted plants from vegetable garden 9. Mirror and side table unit in entrance hall 10. Sconce in 'anteroom' before first floor

Who'd have thunk?

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Stephen Green:

Montana cut income tax rates, and revenues more than doubled.

For years, opponents of income tax relief have warned that lowering tax rates would reduce state revenues and threaten government services.

Montana’s own tax collection data tells a very different story.

Over the past decade, individual income tax collections increased from $1.06 billion in Fiscal Year 2014 to $2.24 billion in Fiscal Year 2024. That’s an increase of more than 111 percent.

Corporate income tax collections grew even faster, rising from $147.6 million to $312.3 million over the same period—an increase of nearly 112 percent.

In other words, Montana’s two major income tax sources didn’t stagnate after lawmakers began reducing individual income tax rates. They more than doubled.

Those numbers should force policymakers to reconsider one of the most common arguments in tax policy debates. The claim that lower tax rates automatically lead to lower tax revenues simply isn’t supported by Montana’s experience.

Green makes a great point:

The problem is that too many policymakers don’t see taxes as a way to raise revenue, but as a means for punishing their enemies.

Everything has its cost

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Your money or your baby’s life, madam — your choice

I was in a local supermarket this morning — not Whole Foods, or “Snooty Pierre’s Emporium for the Elite”, but a regular old, standard store selling food for everyday use — and was appalled to see that iceberg lettuce was priced at $2.49; good lord, for a bit of tasteless crunch? No thanks.

But the real shock came when I moved 10’ down the aisle to the “organic” section and saw what they wanted for that same product enhanced with a halo. I bought neither type.

“Laced with insecticide, and rushed foaming from our garden to your table!”

“Irrigated with only the finest of all-natural unicorn urine and farm worker sweat”