By Chenuka Elwitigala
Forget TV ads and big donors – a smartphone, a subway ride, and a meme or two were all it took for Zohran Mamdani to topple a political titan in one of America’s most watched races.
Zohran Kwame Mamdani an immigrant turned US citizen made the debut to politics in 2021 when he was first elected to the New York State Assembly.
His recent victory in locking up the Democratic mayoral nomination in New York City shocked the entire US political landscape and made waves around the globe, reinforcing the transformative power of social media in modern political campaigns.
A relatively unknown left-wing candidate, and a self-described democratic socialist, referred to as a politician “running without a record” by the disgraced New York Mayor Eric Adams, Mamdani overcame the former governor Andrew Cuomo who had a strong backing from the business elites and bankrolled by the largest super PAC of USD 25 million, the largest ever created in a New York City mayoral campaign. His victory was a result of a grassroot, digitally savvy campaign that resonated deeply with young and diverse voters.
Zohran’s campaign centered on making New York City affordable for all residents. This theme was backed by multiple ambitious and progressive proposals, addressing housing, transportation, childcare, food security, and economic justice. He pledged to implement a citywide rent freeze directly affecting over two million New Yorkers alongside the construction of new affordable housing units. Fast and free buses remained another key campaign promise to increase the quality of public transportation services.
The campaign also vowed to provide universal healthcare to children aged six weeks to five years, to relieve families of financial burdens in early childhood development.
Another progressive campaign promise was to establish city-owned grocery stores to keep costs low and to address food security. These ambitious and progressive reforms were to be funded by taxing the rich and corporates to implement economic justice and thus committing for the vision of an affordable New York City.
The most unique feature of Mamdani’s campaign was the deviation from the polished political ads in favor of bringing the campaign to the streets. He prioritized social media campaigns on TikTok and Instagram over big-budget, ad-heavy campaigns utilized by his established opponents to bypass orthodox party structures and media gatekeepers.
His selfie-style, meme-driven videos which were often recorded on smartphones featured him in everyday New York Setting – walking through Manhattan’s streets, riding the subway, eating in restaurants, and engaging in candid interviews, which added an authentic, relatable feel to his message.
His videos often embraced the style of his earlier rap music videos such as the #1 Spice. This approach broke the fourth wall, creating a direct and personal connection with voters who were wrapped with scripted political rhetoric. Mamdani’s campaign effectively managed to reach demographics which were often overlooked by conventional campaigns such as immigrants, students, and Gen Z.
He managed to translate his digital visibility into a sense of community around him. He was able to convert his online followers into active volunteers to engage in door-to-door canvassing to expand the reach of his message. This created a stark comparison of his opponent’s super PAC funded campaign spending, which failed to engage in a people-centric campaign approach and reflected the need for the strategic combination of community engagement alongside social media campaigns.
His campaign did not stand out only due to his effective communication style but also for its bold and innovative political branding and visual identity which departed from the boring orthodox political visual identities.
The choice of bright and vibrant primary colors such as red, blue, and yellow made it instantly recognizable setting it apart from his opponents’ more muted branding, which relied on patriotic schemes. This vibrant color palette conveyed energy, optimism and inclusivity echoed in his campaign promises. Every visual element of his campaign emphasized clarity and simplicity, with direct slogans such as “Freeze the Rent”, “Cheaper Groceries”, “Childcare for All”, and “Fast & Free Buses.”
Even the campaign logo is crafted from drawing inspirations from iconic New York City signage to elevate the personality of the campaign and to reinforce his image as a candidate of the people. Another innovative approach was his use of personalized logos for each borough, incorporating local landmarks and cultural references unique to that community, such as the Silvercup Studios signage for Queens and Brooklyn Dodgers logo style for Brooklyn.
His posters also broke away from the generic layouts that had been flooding the political advertising landscape. They blended retro aesthetics such as bold typography and vintage layouts with modern design elements.
Viral moments in his campaign included his ocean plunge advocating for rent freeze and his humorous yet educational videos explaining ranked-choice voting in Hindi using mango lassi illustrations as visual aids which further energized his base.
Another standout was the “Subway Takes” video, where he used a MetroCard as a makeshift microphone to interview fellow riders about their struggles and hopes. This garnered millions of views and became emblematic of his campaign’s playful yet substantive tone. This delivered complex policy proposals in a relatable communication style.
One of the most innovative aspects of the campaign was its multilingual outreach. Videos released in Bengali, Hindi, and Spanish, allowed him to communicate directly with New York’s richly diverse population. This strategic personalization not only broadened his appeal but also demonstrated a sincere respect for the communities he aimed to represent.
While endorsements from leading progressives like AOC and Bernie Sanders brought credibility, Mamdani’s digital traction was built on creative outreach through collaboration with social media influencers like Emily Ratajkowski, Cynthia Nixon, and talk shows such as “Gaydar” to amplify his message.
An acutely rare and compelling feature of Mamdani’s campaign was the cross-endorsement among progressive candidates such as Brad Lander and Michael Blake, publicly encouraging their voters to rank each other second on the ballot under New York City’s ranked-choice voting system. This strategic collaboration fostered a united front against the leading establishment candidate and stood out as a refreshingly compassionate gesture in a political arena so often marked by division, cynicism, and hostility.
Mamdani was initially trailing behind the high-profile former governor Andrew Cuomo who leveraged his family legacy and name and political experience. Mamdani was considered, not surprisingly, an underdog. Nevertheless, as the campaign progressed, Mamdani’s grassroots digital strategy, combined with an intelligent use of ranked-choice voting, helped him surge ahead in the final count shifting the momentum of the election.
Zohran Mamdani’s campaign drew clear inspiration from the digital marketing playbook that defined Australia’s 2025 federal election, particularly the strategies employed by Labor-aligned groups, which I have explored in a previous article.
His subway rides videos drew parallels with Greens leader Adam Bandt’s videos with a giant toothbrush prop. Furthermore, the meme-oriented content and leveraging influencer partnerships reflected the similarities with the Labor campaign.
While his campaign has been celebrated as a victory of David defeating the Goliath, there are developing concerns about the potential dangers of its populist style often reflected in the propaganda campaign of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador who has leveraged viral content and anti-establishment rhetoric to consolidate power.
Despite direct voter engagement is effective at mobilizing the youth, it can foster emotional appeals which overshadows substantive policy scrutiny. Personality-driven politics remains another risk of digital campaigns which can morph into a personality cult, as seen in Bukele’s campaign. This can undermine deliberative democracy. Moreover, it exacerbates polarization among the voters, as seen when right-wing candidates and the media labelled Mamdani as an extremist and a communist while the left keeps on fighting back.
Regardless, Mamdani’s success provides a case study in how young, under-resourced candidates can effectively challenge entrenched political power using creativity, community, and connectivity while alarming about the risks of core populist strategies. There is a lesson here not just for the US, but the world, the Global South in particular.
Chenuka Elwitigala is a first-year undergraduate pursuing a dual academic path: Politics and International Relations through the University of London degree program at Royal Institute Colombo, alongside Law studies at the University of Colombo. He can be reached through chenukaelwitigala45@gmail.com.
Factum is an Asia-Pacific-focused think tank on International Relations, Tech Cooperation, and Strategic Communications accessible via www.factum.lk.
The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the organization’s.
