Prairie State Wire

Dan Proft, co-host of AM 560 The Answer, commented on billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman's political insights, suggesting that Ackman may not be a political authority. Proft described Ackman as capable of only surface-level commentary rather than deep insight.

"As William F. Buckley argued, you have to give people room to come over to your side," said Proft, Radio host, activist, political commentator. "And so I'm glad @BillAckman has broken from the Leftist orthodoxy he formerly funded, most notably at Harvard. But his rejection of identitarian socialism plus his money does not make him an oracle of electoral political wisdom. He's okay at the superficial post-mortem--e.g., Mamdani won because the competition was weak--but not so good at presaging poor outcomes."

Proft's remarks were made in response to a June 25 post by Ackman on the social media platform X. In his post, Ackman expressed concern about New York City following the Democratic primary nomination of Zohran Mamdani over Andrew Cuomo. Ackman characterized Mamdani as an avowed socialist who has supported policies such as city-owned supermarkets, defunding the police, and rent freezes. "He is intelligent and articulate," said Ackman. "He is young and charming, and he successfully played down incriminating X posts and statements from his past, pitching a joyful campaign of unity." He further noted that Mamdani won because the competition was weak.

Screenshot of Dan Proft's June 27 Post on X | X

Zohran Mamdani is currently serving as a member of the New York State Assembly. Born in Uganda and raised in New York City, he has participated in hunger strikes alongside taxi drivers to advocate for debt relief exceeding $450 million. Additionally, he helped secure more than $100 million in the New York state budget to expand subway service and fund a fare-free bus pilot. According to his campaign website, if elected mayor of New York City, Mamdani plans to "use every tool available to bring down the rent, create world-class public transit, and make it easier to raise a family."

In response to Ackman's comments and Mamdani's selection as the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, Proft continued his critique on X. "Anyway," said Proft, "if the competition was so apparently weak, why didn't he recruit a talented center-right candidate at the outset and get about coalition-building?" He questioned Ackman's political judgment due to his long-standing association with leftist ideologies.

Proft co-hosts "Chicago’s Morning Answer" on AM 560 Chicago during weekdays from 5-9 a.m. A former Republican candidate for Illinois governor, he attended Northwestern University and earned his J.D. from Loyola University-Chicago.