Guest opinion: Zohran Mamdani is throwing Democrats a lifeline. Will they take it?

By Parker Butler and Lauren Kapp

Last week, New Yorkers saw political gravity turn upside down with Zohran Mamdani’s decisive win over disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo in their city’s Democratic mayoral primary. The hot takes and think pieces have become ubiquitous and out of control; Was his win because of TikTok videos and podcasts? Was it young voters who pushed him over the top? Was it his progressive policy agenda? Is he just a generational talent? As with most major moments in politics, the answer doesn’t fit into a neat box, and is probably “all of the above.”

As digital strategists who helped lead social media for the Harris-Walz presidential campaign last year, we wanted to weigh in: Mamdani’s win was a paradigm shift in campaign strategy that reflects a deep hunger among voters for a new playbook that aligns with today’s media landscape.

To be clear, Mamdani had personal advantages. He’s young, charismatic, and camera-ready. Not everyone can replicate that. But there are several important lessons that every campaign can take from his success. 

For starters, most Democratic campaigns in recent years have struggled to compete in the attention economy. There’s an outdated school of thought in Democratic communications that goes something like this: You start by crafting your poll-tested, focus-grouped message that’s so polished and flawless that it’s utterly boring and unremarkable. Then, you try to shoehorn this perfect message wherever you can — maybe a quote in a paywalled local news article or a wordy tweet that virtually no one reads.

Mamdani’s campaign flipped that script. In all of his campaign messaging, he adhered to a key rule: Attention is currency. On his social media feeds, his team relentlessly deployed a wide range of engaging content, from cinematic direct-to-camera videos, to micro-targeted “fancams,” to collaborations with major pages where voters get their news. His charismatic willingness to go everywhere and talk to everyone shined through, including even to Andrew Cuomo door knockers.

Democrats have been bleeding support from low-propensity voters — the kinds of voters who don’t regularly seek out political news, but learn about what’s happening through what their algorithm feeds them. We like to say these voters are consuming the news between car crash videos and cat videos. Mamdani and his team obviously understood this reality. As early as last year, he was publishing videos interviewing many of these exact types of voters, using a popular “man on the street” interview format that is common in viral non-political content and helps build social rapport. 

In a political environment fraught with negativity, Mamdani’s internet savvy gave New Yorkers a feeling of cautious optimism — and it spilled out into the real world. The city became scattered with Mamdani’s campaign signage telling New Yorkers to vote “FOR A NEW YORK YOU CAN AFFORD.” It became nearly impossible for many residents—especially young people—not to lock into this race. This is a quintessential case study in how flooding the internet with relatable, simple messaging can win voters’ hearts and minds.

As former campaign staffers, we can tell you that most Democratic campaigns are paralyzed by a culture of risk aversion. Content is often put through an onerous multi-stage approvals process that grinds out spontaneity and authenticity — the very qualities that drive virality. Mamdani’s team broke from that mold. How many political candidates have you seen do viral interviews with drag queens? Or participate in a Gen Z TikTok trend that cleverly conveys to viewers that he is a fun person behind the scenes?

Tuesday’s result was a watershed moment for young voters, a demographic the Democratic Party is at dire risk of losing. Mamdani’s digital strategy conveyed he understands the importance of meeting young people where they are at — whether that’s literally at Prospect Park or partnering with your favorite social media creator. The outcome speaks for itself. New data shows the highest-turnout age group in last week’s election were those under 34 years old.

By contrast, many Democrats’ recent efforts to appeal to young people feel far less earnest, instead following a repetitive and stale formula. This typically involves delivering generic talking points while holding a tiny microphone and speaking to an iPhone. This attempt at mimicking influencers is doing close to nothing to reach our generation. 

Voters are yearning for authenticity. That means not every Democrat is going to be able to partner with a local celebrity in a co-post that brings in millions of views like Zohran Mamdani, go live on Instagram and directly engage with their followers like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, or go on a podcast and riff for three hours like Pete Buttigieg or Bernie Sanders. It’s up to each candidate to find their own lanes online that befit their character, interests, and personality.

Here’s the most important part: Democrats should view Mamdani’s win as a lifeline. 

For a party struggling to tap into culture and win over young voters, this campaign is a masterclass in what is possible. After all, young people have an outsized impact on cultural and political narratives. When you lose us, you lose more than just votes — you lose the cultural capital that propels generational changes in voting patterns. The lesson? Invest in the next generation. That means replacing the incentive structures that prioritizes landing mild headlines in Beltway media publications over high-impact social media content that reaches the millions of low-propensity voters the party needs to win back. 

We worry that instead, many in our party are treating Mamdani as an aberration or a liability. Axios reported that some Democrats in DC are “melting down” by the prospect of being tied to Mamdani in negative campaign ads. Some House Democrats literally ran away from reporters asking about his upset victory last week. Look, we recognize that our party is a big tent that includes people from many ideological persuasions — that is a strength that we should celebrate. But if Democrats from all wings of the party cannot value and learn from the tactical expertise that Mamdani demonstrated in his campaign, then they will be left behind.

As Democrats stare down a pivotal election cycle in 2026, Mamdani’s victory should not be treated as an outlier to be managed or dismissed, but as a wake-up call for a party at risk of losing touch with the next generation. The old playbook no longer works in a world where authenticity, creativity, and digital fluency drive both attention and turnout. If Democratic leaders want to build a coalition that can win not just the next election but the future, they must embrace the lessons of this campaign: meet voters where they are, empower new voices, and have the courage to show up as their real selves. 

The stakes are too high—and the opportunity too great—to do anything less.

Butler and Kapp were behind the @KamalaHQ social media brand last year. They are now the co-founders of Luminary Strategies, a Gen-Z-led digital agency.

ICYMI: Whitmer goes on Gaydar

On Friday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made her debut on viral TikTok show Gaydar, where she was peppered with questions about LGBTQ culture and politics by host Anania. 

She used the appearance to take a dig at politicians who have exploited the issue of transgender rights. “Trans people are people, and they deserve to have respect and protection under the law. All the crap coming out of DC makes everyone less safe, and its wrong.” 

Whitmer is in good company; recent guests on the show include singer Chappell Roan, Renee Rapp, Councilman Chi Osse, and, of course, Zohran Mamdani. Gaydar is the creation of Mutuals Media, a progressive media startup founded in early 2024 by Amelia Montooth, Emmet Sandberg, and Roman Papademetriou. The company specializes in creating serialized content for Gen Z audiences on platforms like TikTok, blending elements of culture, entertainment, and politics.

“It's very important for folks to go on shows like this as it allows audiences to see them in a relaxed, personal setting where they can see and connect with the guest's personality,” Mutuals CEO Amelia Montooth told me. “For guests like Gov. Whitmer, it provided an opportunity to highlight real wins she's delivered for her state, rather than only communicating with voters in a campaign context, asking for votes or donations.”

Charted: Zohran’s old school advertising strategy

Despite running a one-of-a-kind, innovative communications strategy on social media (see above), data shows that the Mamdani campaign’s paid media strategy was remarkably old-school. According to data platform Ascend, the campaign spent the vast majority (73%) of its ad dollars on linear television ads. By contrast, the campaign basically spent nothing on Facebook or Instagram advertising: just a few grand on two ads that ran back in March. Shout out to strategist Andy Barr for sharing this data. 

Update: After sharing this chart far and wide online, Mamdani campaign advisor Morris Katz weighed in on the thinking behind their strategy: “A critical part of this was the success of his social videos,” Katz posted on X. “Which allowed us to stay far more competitive on TV, without having to put money behind Meta because he was organically breaking through.”

More things you should read: 

• A new bombshell report by ProPublica reveals that “while Kristi Noem was governor of South Dakota, she supplemented her income by secretly accepting a cut of the money she raised for a nonprofit that promotes her political career.”

• Environmental advocates scored a rare bipartisan win over the weekend as Republican Sen. Mike Lee’s plan to sell millions of acres of public lands was removed from his party’s massive legislative package. Last week, the New York Times wrote about how MAGA influencers online were opposing the sell-off. 

• After voting against Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill” on Saturday and subsequently getting torched online by the President, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis announced that he will not run for re-election next year. The President’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, is reportedly “seriously considering” running for the seat. 

• According to new “validated voter” data from Pew, Trump’s 2024 victory was powered by a more racially and ethnically diverse voter coalition than in 2016 or 2020, with significant gains among Hispanic, Black, and Asian voters, narrowing previous margins held by Democrats.

• The New York Times wrote about the “startling retrenchment” of Mark Zuckerberg’s personal charity, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The organization has ended its internal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and ceased funding political advocacy efforts, citing the shifting regulatory and legal landscape and a desire to avoid controversy that could overshadow its scientific funding work.

• The president of the University of Virginia resigned after the Trump administration demanded his departure as a condition to settle an investigation into the university’s DEI initiatives, with the threat of losing hundreds of millions in federal funding if he stayed. It's another unprecedented escalation in Trump’s battle to root out “woke” policies in higher ed and the private sector. 

• FOX News signed conservative internet personality Brett Cooper to be an on-air contributor. Cooper initially built her audience at Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire, but departed late last year.

One last thing: A big beautiful (unpopular) bill

Republicans in Congress have spent the past few days pushing through President Trump’s radical legislative agenda on a set of party line votes. The so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” has become deeply unpopular, with strong majorities in at least five polls opposing its passage. However, a new polling memo from Priorities USA reveals that many Americans are still unaware of what’s actually in it.

That’s it for today - thanks for reading! This issue was sent to 11,793 subscribers.

A programming note: There will be no newsletter next week. I’m running the Quebec Mega Trail this weekend - a bucket list trail race for me - and will use the time off to recover and work on some big data-focused issues I’m excited to publish in the coming weeks.

As always, if you have questions, feedback, tips, or ideas for a future newsletter, just send me an email: [email protected]