Ohio Urges New Yorkers Worried About Mamdani to Trade the Big Apple for the Buckeye State

The New York City mayoral race keeps getting interesting. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has now officially joined the fight in what looks to be a crowded general election race between himself, Mayor Eric Adams, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and the Democrat’s socialist nominee Zohran Mamdani.

With such a crowded field, Mamdani still looks to be the favorite, despite raising many issues, from his Marxist and radical policies to concerns about antisemitism.

Now, Ohio is looking to use Mamdani’s rise as an opportunity to invite disenchanted New Yorkers to move to the Buckeye State.

Ohio has become increasingly red, and it’s also slowly growing in population.

While Democrats find themselves in disarray over the mayoral race, Ohio’s upcoming election also has national relevance. The gubernatorial election isn’t until 2026, but Republican businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is already expected to emerge victorious. A super PAC in support of his candidacy, Vivek Super PAC—Victors, not Victims, paid for billboards in Times Square encouraging the move to Ohio. The billboards will stay up for a week.

“The $50,000 splash in the iconic tourist zone positions Ramaswamy, 39, as a counterpoint to the 33-year-old socialist who won last month’s Democratic primary for New York City mayor,” the New York Post reported about the ad campaign.

“Worried About Zohran? Ohio Is Waiting For You!” the billboard reads.

There’s also an ad featuring Mamdani and Ramaswamy, describing the former as a “Radical Socialist” and the latter as one who is “Protecting Freedom.” At the top the ad reads, “Ready to Flee NYC? Move to Ohio!”

The Ohio GOP is also involved in encouraging New Yorkers to make the move.

On Sunday night, its X account put out a post with a graphic showing an “escape route” from New York City, with signs warning about “No Freedom,” “Tax Hike,” and how the Big Apple is “Closed.” The sun is meanwhile shining in Ohio, with a welcoming sign describing it as a “State of Excellence.” There are other signs along the way declaring “Now Leaving Chaos” and “Next Stop: Freedom.”

The Daily Signal reached out to the Ohio GOP for comment about the post.