Inside Mamdani’s Viral Video Team
The creators of his wildly successful digital campaign tell me how they found their winning formula.
THE FIRST TRULY MEMORABLE Zohran Mamdani video came many months before he became a lefty sensation, ended a political dynasty, and excoriated Donald Trump in a triumphant victory address.
It was shortly after the 2024 presidential election—a time when Democratic party leadership was frantically trying to figure out which politicians and political influencers understood how to record TikTok videos and make compelling digital content. And Mamdani, a relatively obscure state assemblyman, put out a three-minute video in which he sought explanations from his fellow New Yorkers about why they had voted for Trump. What was captivating about it was what Mamdani didn’t say. In fact, he barely spoke at all. Instead, he held a sign up, along with a microphone and listened as people came up to talk with him on the Bronx’s Fordham Road. Only at the end did he explain to them that he was running for mayor.
Over the subsequent year, Mamdani’s videos would often find their way into my and many other people’s social feeds. There was the viral video about “Halalflation” and another one about FIFA World Cup tickets getting too expensive, not to mention videos of Mamdani walking across Manhattan and canvassing the taxi line at LaGuardia (I could keep going). When he eventually won the election, Mamdani put out another video, this one recalling the Fordham Road video. It went viral, too, racking up millions of views on X.
Whatever one feels about Mamdani’s politics, his team ran a digital campaign that left even competitors impressed. It embraced some of the classic approaches that have propelled outsider, insurgent candidates in the past. But it did so with a fluency in social media, narrative storytelling, and political videography that has largely evaded other Democrats. Naturally, I was curious about how they pulled it off. So I spent last week talking to the people behind Mamdani’s viral videos about how they approached a craft that made them the envy of just about everyone else in the party.
The first thing that jumped out at me was
Join Bulwark+ to unlock the rest
Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you:
- Unlimited access to articles and newsletters including The Triad by JVL and Receipts by Catherine Rampell.
- Ad-free editions of our shows (with transcripts) and member-only shows like The Secret Podcast.
- Plus community chats and commenting features. Your support helps keep our work sustainable and available to those who cannot afford a membership. Cancel anytime.