Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy opened up about a potential mayoral bid. Portnoy made the comments during a Fox News Channel interview.
What We Know: Portnoy told Fox News he has no formal political background. However, he pointed to his charitable work in New York City as relevant experience. The Barstool Fund and his support of local pizza places came up specifically. Portnoy has never held public office or run a campaign before.
What They Said: (All quotes from Fox News Channel)
Barstool Sports Founder Dave Portnoy on possibly running for Mayor of New York City: “If I was going to run, it would be here. Can I win here? I have no idea. I don’t know the demographics, where they’re getting out votes. There’s a lot of people who like me in New York City. I know that. I’ve done a lot of good in New York City when I wasn’t in politics. Whether it’s the Barstool Fund, pizza places, so it wasn’t for show. I’ve had a real job. I’ve done real things, unlike these clown politicians who have never had a job and never been in the real world for a day. But the people voting for these people that just won are like these young, white, Ivy League-ish, elitist women. It’s like, who are they? They’ll never vote for me. They’ll never believe in common sense.”
Barstool Sports Founder Dave Portnoy on weighing a decision to run for public office: “Depending on what day you catch me in Nantucket when I roll out of bed, I have a nice ocean view, and it’s like why do I want to ruin my life and get involved in this mess because I know what comes with it, but sometimes I do feel like it’s my duty. I can’t turn away. I feel like I could make a change, maybe I do run in politics. So I don’t know, depends on the day you catch me. But let me say this: I spend a lot of my day losing my mind on what’s happening right now, especially in New York.”
What Remains Unclear: Portnoy admitted he doesn’t know enough about NYC voter demographics yet. Meanwhile, no timeline exists for an official campaign announcement. It’s also unclear whether Portnoy would run as an independent or align with a party.
What It Means: With Dave Portnoy admittingly taking a step back from his role with Barstool Sports as a creator, a path to politic could be a next step. Ultimately, Portnoy’s comments suggest a celebrity-driven run remains possible, not confirmed. Therefore, political watchers should treat this as exploratory rather than official. Meanwhile, his criticism of current officials signals a populist, anti-establishment pitch.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
