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Zohran Mamdani has won the Democratic Party’s primary against the entire establishment. And this is a game-changing moment for campaigns across America. How else can we explain a muslim immigrant being on the cusp of becoming mayor of New York City?
Zohran Mamdani’s electrifying campaign proves one thing: it is time to speak to the people – the renters and immigrants, the students, and the Gen Z crowd who live perpetually online.
Mamdani’s campaign has shown us all that being online does not mean you are not engaged.
Who is Zohran Mamdani?
Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, was born in Kampala, Uganda, to an Indian family. Mamdani immigrated to New York as a child.
Before entering public office, he worked as a housing counsellor in Queens, helping tenants fight evictions – it doesn’t get more grassroots than that. He has been a member of the New York State Assembly since 2020.
For the millennials, his mom is Mira Nair, the acclaimed filmmaker behind Monsoon Wedding and The Namesake. And for Gen Z, he met his wife, Brooklyn-based Syrian artist Rama Duwaji, on Hinge, and they live in an apartment. How’s that for relatability?
And if you want that extra, extra relatability? Zohran is as cringe as the rest of us. In 2019, he released a rap video under the alias ‘Mr Cardamom’ in a track called ‘Nani.’ And now that video is going viral once again.
But then again, who didn’t try at least once to dance for a reel or TikTok? (Hint: most of the voters have).
So what worked for him in 2025? Let’s start with:
Zohran Mamdani: Talking to the people
It surprised many, but Zohran has drawn on every drop of his heritage, launching campaign ads in Bengali and Hindi to connect with immigrant communities. In another, he speaks Spanish.
At the same time, his supporters put up posters in Yiddish to appeal to the large Orthodox Jewish population.
And that’s just the languages he used. There is also how he said it.
Gone were the practiced monologues (for the most part, they still did feature from time to time). Instead, his messaging leaned on real-time conversation and reactions.
Yes, sometimes things don’t go to plan. However, any conversation that feels ‘real’ has more weight on TikTok and Instagram than a carefully curated speech on YouTube. And that’s where the voters are.
For Gen Z audiences, this difference is not cosmetic. It’s political. Finally, someone spoke to them directly.
And there were the podcasts. From appearing on podcasts like ‘Gaydar’ and ‘Subway Takes’ to streaming with Hasan Piker and making cameos at MJ Lenderman concerts, Mamdani embedded himself in the cultural current of Gen Z.
His campaign speaks their language, lives in their timelines, and invites them into the political process on their terms.
Read More: 275000 Calls With CallHub: How To Plan A Victorious Campaign
Zohran Mamdani: Looking like the people
Interestingly, Zohran was battling the old guard, whose visibility was built through legacy networks, TV studios, glossy magazines, union halls, and party functions.
Zohran’s campaign, by contrast, was rooted in DMs, Instagram reels, WhatsApp chains, and livestream chats.
A protest shot on a smartphone. A policy is explained while riding the subway. A ‘freeze-the-rent’ message demonstrated by jumping into cold ocean water.
These moments aren’t accidental. They’re crafted to travel. It was all perfectly planned to match the aesthetics native to the social platforms on which they appeared.
To be clear, he did spend a lot on digital advertising. However, the content made it clear that this was not an ad pushed by Instagram ABOVE your usual content, but rather someone building a community. The bottom line is that you might watch these kinds of videos anyway.
The campaign did not rely on celebrity retweets or big-dollar ad buys to scale its reach. They wanted their videos to be shared organically and made them with that in mind.
PS: Speaking of the people, Zohran walked the entire length of Manhattan days before the primary, pausing for selfies with voters. Okay, now that’s not something every politician can do. But add it to the “for consideration” pile at the next campaign.
Building trust among the people
The Mamdani campaign also made it clear that political influence is changing. Influence is fragmented. A viral dance challenge or a reaction video can now reach more eyes than a televised debate.
In this world, the people with the most impact aren’t necessarily the most ‘powerful’. It’s the ones who are seen as ‘most trusted’. Mamdani has moved himself up that trust hierarchy by being radically accessible.
He doesn’t only speak about policy – he explains it in a cool way (like while running a marathon.)
Purpose-driven storytelling has beaten polished messaging. Co-creation has beaten controlled messages. Memes became messengers.
Read More: 4 Key Lessons in Digital Canvassing (From Real Campaigns!)
The future for the democratic party
Look, it’s not just Instagram memes and TikTok jogs. Mamdani has been consistently on the ground with New Yorkers – knocking on doors, phonebanking, protesting, showing up for tenants, or pushing back against opponents.
In an era of radical change, Zohran is making one thing clear – Gen Z isn’t disinterested in politics.
So, are you going to talk to them where they are? You should. You might sweep an election that no one thought you could win two months ago!
Feeling inspired to make a change? Set up an account with CallHub in five minutes and start campaigning now!
