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John Catsimatidis didn’t hide his anger after Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory — he warned bluntly that he might cut jobs and seek friendlier soil for his empire if New York embraced democratic socialism. The supermarket mogul has spoken openly about moving parts of Red Apple Group out of the city and even spending more time in Florida if policies threaten his ability to operate.
Back in June Catsimatidis staged a press conference with independent bodega owners and sounded the alarm, saying a city-run grocery scheme would be ruinous to private merchants and people who depend on those jobs. He publicly compared Mamdani’s proposals to authoritarian schemes and blasted the idea on national television, a visceral reaction from a lifelong New Yorker who built a business from nothing.
Talk of moving headquarters to New Jersey was floated as a contingency plan, but Catsimatidis has since made the strategic pivot to looking for “friendly states” — with Florida emerging as the top choice for entrepreneurs fleeing hostile governance. This is not empty bluster; relocation filings and business relocation attorneys in Florida report a surge of interest from New York firms the morning after the election, a predictable response to tax hikes and public takeovers promised on the campaign trail.
Mamdani’s election — called by major outlets and certified in the results on November 4, 2025 — signals a new era of policy risk for investors and employers who still keep faith in free enterprise. Business leaders across the city are publicly admitting they’re rethinking exposure to a municipality that may prioritize government programs and punitive taxes over the men and women who actually create jobs.
Let’s be clear about what’s at stake: when politicians promise government-run stores or punitive levies on success, the first casualty is private-sector jobs and the small business networks that keep neighborhoods humming. Catsimatidis’s blunt warning — sell, close, or move — is the kind of wake-up call Americans should heed; the leafy rhetoric of “affordability” masks real costs paid by workers, suppliers, and taxpayers.
Conservatives and defenders of free markets must use this moment to make a simple argument to voters: real prosperity is built, not bestowed. Hold elected officials accountable for policies that push businesses out, demand transparency on proposed takeovers, and remind fellow citizens that prosperity comes from private initiative, not big government experiments that sound good in a campaign speech.
If Catsimatidis follows through on moving operations or cutting staff, it will be a tragic confirmation of a basic principle — when government crowds out private enterprise, jobs and opportunity follow the money elsewhere. That outcome won’t just punish wealthy owners; it will hurt the very communities progressive politicians claim to champion, and hardworking Americans should be ready to fight for policies that protect livelihoods over political theater.
