The Gen Z Republican who thinks he can take over NYC in next year's mayoral race

John Richard Harris is a Gen Zer on a mission.

The 27-year-old from Long Island says New York City is falling apart, and that a new face is needed to fix it.

He recently registered to run as a Republican in next year's mayoral race.

It's a long-shot, he admits, but business-as-usual is not an option when crime has left New Yorkers scared to leave their homes, and renters are lucky to pay less than $4,000 per month.

'I know I'm not a big name, but you got to start somewhere,' Harris told DailyMail.com.

'There are changes that need to be made, and somebody needs to step in and do it. I'm done with being a bystander.'

In many ways, it's a good time to expand the range of options for New York voters.

The administration of Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, faces a widening corruption crisis and among the worst approval ratings on record.

This week, two former city fire chiefs were arrested on charges that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for preferential treatment to some individuals and companies.

It was the latest salvo in a blitz of federal investigations swirling around Adams and his top deputies that have resulted in scandal and resignations.

At his weekly Q&A session at City Hall on Tuesday, the embattled mayor lost his temper with reporters, and slammed them for asking the same questions about graft 'over and over again.'

Voters appear willing to ditch Adams. Many say he's not delivered on vows to make the streets safer, build affordable homes — or even solve the city's rat infestation.

Nearly three quarters of voters said they disapproved of the former cop's performance, when they were asked in a Manhattan Institute poll in April.

Still, that doesn't make Harris a shoo-in.

Big-name Democrats have already put themselves forward to challenge Adams.

They include the city's left-leaning comptroller Brad Lander and state senators Zellnor Myrie and Jessica Ramos.

Even the state's former governor, Andrew Cuomo, is thought to be weighing a run — and stage a comeback after resigning in 2021 amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

In any case, Harris would need to prevail in a GOP primary to get on the ballot for the November 4, 2025, election.

He currently appears to be the only Republican seeking the nomination, but that could change.

Curtis Sliwa, the beret-wearing founder of the Guardian Angels crime-fighting group — who was the Republican who lost to Adams in 2021 — has plans to run again.

Harris, however, is optimistic, and says he's 'not overly impressed' with the opposition.

'I hope to gain everybody's trust, and I think I can resonate with younger voters,' he says.

'If they see a fresh face, who really cares about the city, and tackling crime, corruption, and affordability, I think I can definitely win over that vote.'

His policies are what you'd expect from a Republican running in a liberal-leaning city.

He wants more cops on the streets and tougher sentences for criminals, safer subways, and to tackle the eye-watering costs of living in and raising a family in the city of 8.3 million people.

'I've noticed the downward trend in safety and livability throughout the five boroughs,' he says.

'I'm afraid to take a subway train with without the fear of being pushed onto the tracks. It's out of control; we're letting criminals run the streets.'

Like in other big cities, crime shot up in New York in the pandemic, but has started to fall in recent months.

Murders, shootings, and burglaries all plummeted in the Big Apple in the past year, said an annual report released by Adams on Monday.

But New Yorkers remain rattled by outrages, such as the 62-year-old woman who was assaulted and pushed onto subway tracks in Brooklyn this week. She escaped with cuts and bruises.

Few residents would complain about Harris' bid to lower housing costs.

A Zillow survey found that typical rents surged by 8.6 percent last year, much faster than wages.

The average New Yorker now pays more than $5,000 per month for an 800 sq ft two-bedroom home.

Harris says he has a plan for cutting these costs by tinkering with taxes and the city budget, but acknowledges that 'it's very complex.'

Though he has no experience with budgets on the scale of New York's $112.4 billion annual spend, he says his business background stands him in good stead.

He took over his family's tool-making firm Becker Industrial in 2018 after the death of his dad, Richard.

The graduate of East Meadow High School studied for one semester at Farmingdale State College, but quickly realized he would learn more following in his father's footsteps.

He emphasizes his eponymous middle name to 'pay homage' to him.

Harris describes himself as a high school athlete who enjoyed baseball and football who got the travel bug at an early age. This summer, he got engaged to a medical student.

He became interested in government in 2016 after another New York Republican entered the fray.

Former president Donald Trump 'brought a new generation into politics,' he says.

Still, his tough-on-crime message has much in common with Rudy Giuliani, the former Republican New York mayor who is credited with cleaning up the city in the 1990s.

Even so, Harris says he won't be waving MAGA banners in his campaign and seeks 'common ground' with Democrats.

'I'm going to give it a shot,' he told DailyMail.com.

'Even if I don't win, I'm going to do my best to be a voice for my beliefs, and you'll definitely see me advocating in some form in the city.'