Zohran Mamdani and Long Island: Taking stock of his election, along the Nassau-Queens border

Along the border of Nassau County and Queens, a border that is at times almost indistinguishable, the political climates couldn't be more opposed.

In New York City, Zohran Mamdani, 34, will assume the mayoralty on Jan. 1. A democratic socialist, he campaigned on promises to tax the city's wealthiest 1% to pay for free busing and child care, and to push back against immigration raids.

Across the county line, Republican Bruce Blakeman, 70, cruised to reelection as Nassau County executive on a starkly different platform, vowing to keep taxes in check and to help President Donald Trump as he continues one of the toughest illegal immigration deportation campaigns in history.

Where Mamdani has been sharply critical of police in the past, a position he has worked to soften, Blakeman, 70, has embraced law enforcement.

On election night, Blakeman called Trump to thank him for support. Around the same time, Mamdani offered a warning to the president on immigration: "To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us."

While eastern Queens and western Nassau County have much in common, the nation's raging battle over taxes, policing and immigration spotlights the divide between bright red and vivid blue.

When it comes to immigration enforcement, experts say there's a clear split between how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operates in jurisdictions that have clashed with the federal agency and those that are more friendly.

Queens and the rest of New York City can expect to see more raids, said Talia Inlender, deputy director of the UCLA Law School's Center for Immigration Law and Policy. But data proves that arrests will remain higher across the border, where Nassau cooperates with the agency.

The first signs of city-county tension were apparent minutes after the election results were known.

"We sent a message to New York City that there’s a big red line between New York City and the Town of Hempstead," Supervisor John Ferretti said on election night. "And we will never let socialists take over the Town of Hempstead."

Crime remains a flashpoint between city officials and Long Island’s elected leaders.

Mamdani has called for the decriminalization of certain prostitution offenses, which advocates say improves public health and safety by allowing sex workers to report violence and gain access to health care without fear of arrest.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said on election night that her office would continue to enforce the law on misdemeanor crimes such as prostitution.

For his part, Mamdani vowed to keep NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and to maintain the force's headcount, but he has been sharply critical of the department in the past, calling it "corrupt" and "racist."

During an interview on Fox News in October, Mamdani issued a broad apology to the rank-and-file officers of the NYPD. Mamdani said his views on public safety had evolved while serving in the State Legislature. He said he recognized that delivering justice also required ensuring safety, which meant working with police. “I know that these officers, these men and women who serve in the NYPD, they put their lives on the line every single day,” Mamdani said.

"Nassau is one of the safest places to live, and we’re told we shouldn't be concerned," said Natalie Klopfer, 34, of Hewlett. "But people in the city and boroughs will be affected."

Mamdani summoned reporters to the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park on Wednesday to announce his transition team as he began filling key roles in City Hall. The borough is also where Mamdani’s pledge to make life more affordable for working people took root as a state assemblyman.

Sinonia Headley, 41, of Queens, who works as a medical assistant for Northwell Health on the Nassau-Queens border, said she hopes Mamdani will follow through on his affordability promises.

Even with a steady job, the mother of three finds the cost of raising a family and her $1,800 a month rent to be back breaking. Things are so tight she receives federal SNAP food assistance.

The notion of free child care could be transformative, she said.

"Supposedly I’m working a good job and I’m still not making ends meet," Headley said. "Everything is piling up and I’m in over my head. ... The rent is ridiculous and astronomical."

Blakeman, for his part, made economics a cornerstone of his campaign. But he has focused on job creation, economic development and keeping taxes low. He’s shown little interest in the kind of economic policy and direct assistance aimed at working families that Mamdani promises.

"Wouldn't it be great if they didn't have to tax the rest of us? How do you pay for all of it? Good luck with that," said Vincent Cracovia, 60, a Shoreham resident who was working in Lake Success on Wednesday. "I’m all for affordability and making things cheaper for everybody, but somebody else has to pick up the slack."

Experts say it's too early to tell what economic impact Mamdani's administration could have on the city and on Long Island. A large question looms over his economic agenda: whether he's got the support of Gov. Kathy Hochul and Albany.

"I think at the very least, if these things happen the way he has said, it’s looking at effects to the potential labor and housing market, possible business relocation and potential property tax implication on Long Island," said Giacomo Santangelo, a senior lecturer in economics at Fordham University.

He said 37% of Long Island home sales in 2023 were from New York City residents moving to the suburbs. If Mamdani's affordability agenda is successful, it could curb the flow of residents leaving the city.

"If people stop moving to Long Island, this could benefit current homeowners, but it doesn’t do justice to new home construction and demand would be expected to fall," Santangelo said. 

Some on both sides of the border are hopeful that Mamdani’s aggressive posture toward the president and Republicans will make things better for residents, particularly immigrants and people of color.

Matthew Smith, 72, of Springfield Gardens, Queens, said he hoped Mamdani would bring reforms to better achieve racial equity in the city and to push back against Trump, who has vowed to cut federal funding with Mamdani as mayor.

"We need a change," Smith said. "I know he has some [far-out] ideas, but as long as it’s equitable. I hope we're able to be fair across the board."

Newsday's Bahar Ostadan and Joseph Ostapiuk contributed to this story.