Zohran Mamdani, son of a politics professor and a Disney director, is a child of immense privilege, so it’s easy to dismiss his ideas about policing as the product of youthful excess emerging untouched by reality from an insulated upbringing. But Mamdani is a heavy favorite to become the next mayor of New York City, so his ideas demand close scrutiny. A poll released this week finds he has a commanding lead in the election campaign, leaving his rivals trailing by nearly 30 points. His support remains above 50% despite hypothetical matchups in which Mayor Eric Adams or former Gov. Andrew Cuomo are left off the ballot.

This is troubling for several reasons, not least Mamdani’s consistent demand for years that the police be defunded. He strategically backed off this mad idea a little during the Democratic primary for mayor, saying at a debate that he would not defund but “work with” them, whatever that would entail. Recent reports also suggest he would consider keeping police commissioner Jessica Tisch. But his previous disdain toward the NYPD and police, in general, allows doubt that these recent promises would be kept if he took over as mayor.