Much has been written about America’s largest city edging closer to electing a socialist mayor. And the effects are likely to make their way down to Georgia.
Zohran Mamdani recently won the Democratic primary, which is likely enough to secure the mayoralty of New York City. He still has to get through a general election that includes incumbent Eric Adams, now running as an independent. But Mamdani is in a strong position.
How did Mamdani rise to the top of the ticket over Andrew Cuomo, a well-known but scandal-plagued former governor? He ran a calculated campaign focused on New York City’s affordability crisis. He’s promised free bus rides, city-run grocery stores, a $30 minimum wage, and rent freezes — all to be funded by the (in Mamdani’s eyes) evil billionaires of the city.
So have at it.
If you’re old enough to remember New York City before the 1990s, you’ve seen what can happen under dysfunctional leadership in one of the world’s most important cities.
But if Mamdani is indeed successful in implementing his policy ideas, expect one noticeable trend to continue and likely grow: the number of people leaving New York for greener pastures like Georgia. While we may criticize bad ideas or bad policy, that’s the beauty of the American federalist system.
We often look to Washington for answers, but that’s the wrong approach. State and local governments retain significant control over many aspects of our daily lives, including education, criminal justice, infrastructure, elections and taxation. This decentralization creates a unique environment in which cities and states are free to innovate and compete.
One of the most powerful aspects of federalism is that it allows states to serve as “laboratories of democracy,” a phrase popularized by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis. States can experiment with new laws, policies and regulations tailored to the specific needs and preferences of their populations.
Federalism naturally fosters healthy competition among the states. Policymakers are incentivized to make their states more attractive for residents, workers and businesses.
In this week’s commentary, we talk about the New York-to-Georgia exodus already underway and how there is no more measurable sign of success (or failure) for a state than people voting with their feet.
Have a great weekend,
– Kyle Wingfield
Friday’s Freshest 
Georgia’s conservative budgeting pays off, literally
The state government operates under a balanced budget requirement, so there is no deficit spending a la Washington. Still, the state historically has issued bonds to pay for infrastructure projects, from bridges to new college classrooms. Lately, however, it has eschewed even that borrowing – to the benefit of taxpayers. The budget year that begins July 1 will be the third straight with no “bond package,” as that section is typically called. Instead, over the course of three years the state has paid cash for projects totaling $3.45 billion.
6 ways state policy affected your wallet in 2025
Georgia’s 2025 fiscal year will be remembered less for a single marquee bill than for a constellation of measured, taxpayer-focused changes that added up to real relief. Some of the savings recently arrived in bank accounts; others showed up as lower withholding amounts, education assistance or costs citizens never had to absorb.
Homeschooling support for military families: A new opportunity for Georgia
The U.S. Department of Defense recently announced a formal review of how it supports military families who choose to homeschool their children—a move that could significantly benefit Georgia’s large and growing population of service members. The review signals a broader recognition in Washington of what military families have known for years.
School choice means more than just one program
Proponents of educational freedom in Georgia often hold up Florida as a paragon of empowering families to choose the education that best fits their children’s needs. But with so much of the focus on private choice, it’s easy to forget that freedom also means the ability to move among public schools. That’s particularly worth remembering as Florida has hit a new milestone: 51% of all K-12 students there exercised educational choice last year.
Wall Street remains easy target, but tackling housing affordability begins in Georgia
Out-of-state companies, typically classified as “institutional investors,” have drawn the ire of policymakers and the public primarily by purchasing existing single-family homes and then renting them out. Some of these companies also build homes and develop entire subdivisions with the sole intention of renting, another contentious concept known as Build-to-Rent, or BTR. But to truly look at the issue of housing affordability, we must look inward at the policies that have stifled housing.
Peach Picks 
Georgia has ended the 2025 fiscal year with another budget surplus. According to Gov. Brian Kemp, net tax revenue for the 12 months ending June 30 was up $197.4 million over the previous fiscal year, an increase of 0.6%. “To see that number grow in spite of those rate cuts is encouraging. I think it’s a good sign for a healthy economy,” said Kyle Wingfield, CEO of Georgia Public Policy Foundation.
A new $60 million cold storage facility is bringing 50 new jobs to a small county on Georgia’s coast. This week, Ti Cold and Karis Cold broke ground on a project in McIntosh County. Ti Cold provides cold storage construction and development services. The facility’s location is the Tidewaters Industrial Park, a Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development site in Darien.
The PSC has approved Georgia Power’s three year plan to freeze customer rates. Under an agreement the Atlanta-based utility and the Georgia Public Service Commission’s Public Interest Advocacy Staff reached in May, Georgia Power will not seek to raise base rates until 2028 at the earliest. However, the agreement excludes “reasonable and prudent” costs the utility has incurred from storm damage mostly from Hurricane Helene.
A pilot program would allow non-attorneys to perform limited legal tasks. The Supreme Court Study Committee on Legal Regulatory Reform focused on how changes in the regulatory practices could bridge the state’s civil justice gap in non-criminal matters, according to a news release from the Supreme Court of Georgia. The initial programs would be established in a rural, an urban and a mid-size community site for three years.
The Big Beautiful Bill will impact taxpayers in a number of ways. The bill extends tax cuts originally enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that were set to expire this year, including lower tax rates and a higher standard deduction for taxpayers. OBBBA also includes new forms of tax relief, including provisions to provide relief to workers earning tips and overtime, as well as to retirees.
Off The Vine 
Georgia-based Waffle House has removed an egg surcharge implemented in February. Your meal at Waffle House is a little cheaper. The 50-cent markup was added when a dozen eggs cost over $6, according to Egg Markets Overview. That price dropped to $2.54 at the end of June.
Quotes Of Note 
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” – Maya Angelou
“What is ominous is the ease with which some people go from saying that they don’t like something to saying that the government should forbid it. When you go down that road, don’t expect freedom to survive very long.” – Thomas Sowell
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker
