Just leave your policies up there if you come.
I’m sure by now you’ve heard about the election in New York City last night, which ended with 34-year old state assemblyman and self-described “Democratic Socialist” Zohran Mamdani winning the race to become the next mayor of our country’s largest city and financial center.
What could go wrong?
His platform throughout the campaign was pretty much what you’d expect: Make everything free, reduce incarcerations instead of locking up criminals, and implementing an aggressive green agenda to combat climate change. So you know that he was basically a lock to win it all in a place like NYC.
Mamdani defeated fellow Democrat-turned-Independent and former governor of New York Andrew Cuomo, as longshot Republican Andrew Cuomo, in a campaign that focused largely on lowering the cost of living by raising taxes.
And one governor is already offering businesses a new home if they’re wanting to escape.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee released a video today letting companies know about what his state had to offer in case they decided to leave NYC following Mamdani’s election:
“Hey everybody. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. In light of the recent election results, I thought it might be a good time to remind you that Tennessee is THE best state in the country for doing business. If you are a New York City business owner and you don’t like the direction your city has headed, I have a message for you that Tennessee is open for business.
We have one of the strongest economies in the country. We have one of the lowest tax bases in the country. We have a workforce that is ready for any industry, a workforce that is ready to meet the needs of your company. And our Department of Economic and Community Development is ready to help you make a move right now.
In fact, Tennessee is one of the most moved-to states, for families, for people, for companies from around the globe, because we believe that opportunity and security and freedom are important for everyone.
We also believe in the power of law enforcement, by the way. And we understand that the men and women who keep our families, keep our communities safe, need to be supported, and we do so in our state.
I want you to know that if you’re looking for an opportunity, you found one in the state of Tennessee. We are here, our way of life, our music, our culture, our food, our hospitality, and our business-friendly environment might just be right for you. We are open for business.”
Of course it remains to be seen whether any businesses will actually decide to leave the city given the election results. Barstool Sports CEO Dave Portnoy had previously said that he would like to move his company’s NYC office out of the city if Mamdani won the election, but also said that he didn’t want to affect the lives of his employees.
Meanwhile there are plenty of businesses fleeing the high taxes and harsh business climates of places like New York and California that have moved to Tennessee, and Nashville in particular, over the past few years. Oracle and Amazon have both increased their presence in Nashville, and even California staple In-N-Out Burger is opening a new headquarters in the Nashville area.
I will say, not having a state income tax definitely makes it attractive for employees to move here, and the low tax rate in general offers an incentive for companies to consider heading to the Volunteer State.
But for anybody who does end up moving here, just don’t vote the same way you did in you previous state when you get here.
