Ex-NYC Mayor de Blasio defends Mamdani's rent freeze proposal while others warn of market damage

With New York City Mayor Eric Adam’s surprise exit from the race Sunday, socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s plan to freeze rent may get even more attention from freebie-loving Democrats, but it's raising concerns for real estate and business leaders that say similar progressive policies have resulted in higher vacancies, deteriorating housing, and slow development.  Mamdani has centered his campaign around this policy and has publicly called out Adams for "squeezing tenants" by increasing rent on stabilized apartments. His platform, "New York is too expensive. Zohran will lower costs