Mamdani Faces Backlash Over Expensive ‘Freebie’ Victory Party

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani campaigned on promises of affordability, free public services, and economic equality. But his victory party in Brooklyn offered none of that — featuring a pricey cash bar where drinks cost up to $22.

The 34-year-old democratic socialist celebrated his narrow win Tuesday night at the newly renovated Brooklyn Paramount, a historic music venue packed with cheering supporters. Mamdani edged out former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa to capture just over 50% of the vote, The New York Post reported.

But while the self-styled man of the people pledged free buses and universal childcare, his partygoers were greeted with prices more in line with Manhattan’s high-end cocktail lounges.

Photos posted by Politico reporter Jeff Coltin showed Pabst Blue Ribbon beers selling for $13, Montauk Summer Ale for $16, Indian Wells Chardonnay and Riesling for $15, and espresso martini coolers and old fashioneds topping out at $22. Even soft drinks cost $12, and a pretzel-wrapped hot dog went for $10, according to The Post.

The pricey menu quickly circulated online — and so did the mockery.

“Mamdani had a CASH BAR at his victory party,” conservative comedian Jimmy Failla wrote on X. “If you can’t get a free vodka from this guy, something tells me the free food and buses ain’t coming. Congrats, suckers.”

Critics called it a fitting symbol of what they view as hypocrisy from the incoming mayor, who ran a campaign focused on affordability while celebrating with bar prices out of reach for many New Yorkers.

“Nothing says ‘for the people’ like charging $22 for a cocktail,” one user posted.

While it’s not unusual for campaigns to expect supporters to buy their own drinks, Mamdani’s opponents were more generous. Cuomo’s viewing party at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Midtown Manhattan featured an open bar, even as his campaign faced a somber atmosphere following defeat.

Sliwa’s team, meanwhile, offered two free drink tickets per guest at Arte Café, an upscale Italian restaurant on the Upper West Side. Waiters circulated with free plates of fried calamari, meatballs, chicken parmesan, and shrimp before supporters opened their own wallets later in the night.

Mamdani’s event at the Paramount, by contrast, offered no freebies beyond the victory itself. The newly restored Downtown Brooklyn venue, once known for hosting jazz legends like Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington, was recently reopened as a Live Nation property.

The irony of the socialist mayor-elect celebrating his win at a commercial entertainment venue — and charging his supporters bar prices that many New Yorkers struggle to afford — was not lost on critics.

The moment also added a new layer to questions about how Mamdani’s ambitious agenda will fare once he takes office.

The mayor-elect built his campaign around a sweeping slate of “free” programs, including universal childcare, city-run grocery stores, a rent freeze for nearly one million stabilized tenants, and free bus service. He has vowed to pay for it all by raising taxes on wealthy New Yorkers and corporations — a plan that would require approval from Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state legislature.

Even some Democratic strategists have said Mamdani will face serious hurdles converting campaign rhetoric into law. His policies have drawn concern from business leaders who warn that his tax-heavy approach could drive wealth and investment out of the city.