How Mamdani got the word out about child care
If you’re a New York parent of a 2022 or 2023 baby, you probably can’t look up (or look down at your phone) without seeing Mayor Mamdani’s face for the past six weeks.
He was everywhere. Doing adorable press conferences with preschoolers, building snowmen with kids after the blizzard, partnering with influencers, making videos in imperfect but well-meaning Spanish with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and advertising on LinkNYC kiosks, ferries, and on the back of cars across the city.
Days before the Feb. 27 deadline, reports of robocalls coming directly from Mamdani swept through parent group chats, reminding people to sign up for 3-K or pre-K before it was too late.
This marketing campaign – combined with aggressive on-the-ground outreach and community engagement – was more than just window dressing. This was instrumental in the mayor’s goal of achieving universal child care and is further proof that in 2026, politicians need to be good communicators.
Consider how, in 2025, 1 in 5 pre-K and 3-K seats go unfilled, in part because then-Mayor Eric Adams simply didn’t care much about trying.
At the same time, thousands of students have not received an offer for their preferred 3-K program because supply and demand are not yet aligned given the newness of the program.
Fewer people enrolled in 3-K and pre-K means there is less information about where the city needs to implement new programs. Meanwhile, child care centers close due to insufficient enrollment and the argument for maintaining or increasing funding in future years becomes even weaker, meaning even fewer spaces available. We are stuck in a doomsday loop.
I think about this as I think back to Mamdani’s victory in the primary last year. There has been a frenzied and annoying debate within the Democratic Party over whether he won solely on his videos and communication style or on his policy positions. (The answer is both).
What this debate missed is that in the fragmented attention economy of 2026, the skills he needed to win election are the same skills he needed to become a successful mayor.
While politicians in the 1990s could have put out a TV ad or done an interview on the local 5 p.m. news and called it quits, today that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Today, a good politician must be able to reach the person who hasn’t paid for cable in years and only listens to sports podcasts or consumes parental content.
But it’s not just about reaching them: an effective communicator must be able to attract these voters in a way that is both entertaining and disciplined.
This is easier said than done, and certainly, Mamdani is extraordinary at it. But he is not alone.
Across the country, there is a new generation of leaders who can similarly capture attention and turn it into action. For my part at Run for Something, where we work with hundreds of Millennial and Gen Z candidates each year for state and local office, I’ve been thrilled to see leaders who share Mamdani’s aptitude for the Internet begin to leverage their skills for effective governance.
Check out Florida Rep. Anna Eskamani, California State Sen. Sasha Renee Perez, Atlanta City Councilmember Kelsea Bond, or New Jersey Assemblymember Katie Brennan for a few examples.
Undermine these politicians as “influencers” or “content creators” at your own risk. Good communication is necessary for good governance – and what that means in 2026 has changed rapidly. Successful leaders will not only win elections; because of this, they will actually be better at the jobs they earn.
Litman is the co-founder and president of Run for Something.
