Lessons for Campaigners from Zohran Mamdani’s Victory

Introduction

Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City Mayoral race has inspired left wing campaigners around the world. Explore these resources to find out more about the campaign and its lessons.

Got great analysis to share? Let the Commons librarians know.

Read

Everything everywhere all at once: How Zohran Mamdani campaigned both online and with a ground game

Stuart Soraka, The Conversation

The Mamdani campaign may have been a textbook example of a modern hybrid campaign and an illustration of the coevolution of digital and on-the-ground campaigning. To be clear, the success of the Mamdani campaign is probably not about his online presence or his ground game, but both at the same time. – Stuart Soroka

“Organize, don’t despair!” — Lessons from Zohran Mamdani’s victory

Mar Garcia Sanz & Viktor Mák, European Center for Digital Action

Mamdani’s victory is a message to the world that the progressive movement can reclaim agency, build trust, and win even in the most unlikely places.

Mamdani’s campaign stood out for two intertwined reasons: authenticity and organization.

Inside the Zohran Mamdani Campaign: Lessons in Socialist Strategy and its Pressing Challenges

Özge Yaka, International Research Group on Authoritarianism and Counter-Strategies (IRGAC)

1. It is not about opposing authoritarianism; it is about offering an alternative
2. It is not about identity; it is about dignity
3. It is not about antagonizing the working-class people who voted for authoritarian leaders; it is about winning (some of) them back
4. It is not (only) about social media – it is about organizing an immense and diverse grassroots campaign

3 Marketing Lessons From Zohran Mamdani’s Campaign

Kian Bakhtiari, Forbes

Zohran Mamdani’s ascent offers three valuable lessons… It highlights a shift from TV advertising to social-first content, from polished campaigns to direct communication and from centralized control to community-powered movements.

5 Lessons from Zohran Mamdani’s Stunning NYC Victory

Jack Maycock, Shape History

1. Spell out the problem again and again and…
2. Culture wins hearts and changes minds
3. Take risks. What’s the worst that could happen?
4. Incremental change isn’t worth getting out of bed for
5. There’s only one Zohran Mamdani

Other takes:

• Zohran Mamdani’s Campaign Figured Out How to Channel Fandom, Makena Kelly, Wired
• The gathering strategy behind Zohran Mamdani’s historic win, Priya Parker and Katie Riley
• HKS Lecturer Advised Zohran Mamdani on Sustaining Momentum, Avoiding the ‘Obama Trap’, Interview with Marshall Ganz in The Harvard Crimson
• How I helped Zohran Mamdani turn 45,000 social media clicks into a real-life army of volunteers, Gabriella Zutrau, FWIW
• Lessons from the Mamdani Campaign from Ed Krutsch, National Director of Australian youth democracy organisation, Run For It.
• When they go low, we go viral, Caroline McCarthy, Politico
•  How I helped Zohran Mamdani turn 45000 social media clicks into a real-life army of volunteers, Gabriella Zutrau, FWIW
• Inside the Instagram Machine That Got Zohran Mamdani Elected , Bobby Hillard, ManyChat
• How Zohran Mamdani drove over 20K clicks from Instagram DMs , Rachel Karten

A fiercely progressive agenda can win hearts and minds if you do the work to bring people along with you. – Ed Krutsch

Watch

Is Zohran Mamdani’s Campaign a Blueprint for Success?

Jen Hassum (Broadbent Institute) & Jeyan Jeganathan (The Rundown)

Zohran Mamdani vs The Machine

Fault Lines Documentary, Al Jazeera

Mayor Mamdani Establishes Office of Mass Engagement

Speech from Zohran Mamdani and Tascha Van Auken, 3 January 2026

The Mayor announced that Tascha Van Auken will lead the Office of Mass Engagement as Commissioner. On Mayor Mamdani’s campaign, Tascha spearheaded a historic field operation — mobilizing more than 100,000 volunteers, knocking on over 3 million doors, and making more than 4.5 million calls to New York City voters. Now she will bring this experience and approach to City government.

The Office of Mass Engagement will:

• Lead mass engagement campaigns that organize New Yorkers to participate in City decision-making;
• Create and maintain accessible, inspiring channels and events for residents to share feedback with government;
• Proactively reach communities that have historically been excluded from policymaking;
• Embed public feedback directly into City policies, programs, and services through strong, transparent feedback loops;
• Support agencies in delivering high-quality engagement and more effective public services.

Explore Further

• Fixing our Democracies and Winning Elections in the Age of Junk Politics: A Guide to Transformational Campaigning, Tectonica
• Election Campaign Skills
• Election Campaign Case Studies
• Organising your Local Community: One Million Rising’s Campaign against Authoritarianism
• Authentic Relational Conversations: Reaching Across Difference to Build a Pro-Democracy Movement