Zohran Mamdani’s Campaign Figured Out How to Channel Fandom

The new one from Zohran Mamdani York’s mayoral campaign has set a new standard for how Democrats can communicate online.

It is this digital savvy and authentic engagement with social media platforms that pundits across the political spectrum attributed Mamdani’s triumphant and decisive victory Tuesday night. From the start, his team outclassed their online opponents, posting highly produced videos that reached massive audiences.

But that’s only half the story. Much of the content online about Mamdani doesn’t just come from her campaign or the dozens of political influencers invited to cover her. This comes from his fans.

Over the past few months, feeds have been filled with fancams, fan art, and videos created not only with Mamdani but For him. This form of participatory online fandom is traditionally reserved for celebrities and musicians like Taylor Swift or K-pop idols. The young voters who overwhelmingly supported Mamdani this week grew up reaching out to their online favorites in this way, creating something incredibly rare for the 34-year-old mayor-elect: a fandom.

“They use their online fandom experiences to make politics,” says Ashley Hinck, an associate professor at Xavier University who teaches digital media and online communication. “These are the skills needed to engage in culture and that means these are the skills we use to engage in politics. »

The Mamdani campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This fandom is not like your average political organization. Online, clips of Mamdani speaking at rallies and with influencers are remixed into tight video messages set to Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind,” songs from the Broadway musical. Hamilton» or that of Charli XCX Kid. Digital artists posted videos of themselves drawing Mamdani in their own style. Mamdani’s own campaign jokes, such as when he asked his opponent Andrew Cuomo how to pronounce his last name, have been transformed into campaign anthems.

Unlike many online politicians of late, the Mamdani campaign’s official social media presence has eschewed AI-generated content and a focus on popular audio trends, becoming a rare source of substance in filth-filled feeds. While other Democratic officials post messages online to prove their authenticity to voters, Mamdani, voters say, is simply showing up. He uses social media with the same seriousness he gives to issues like housing and affordability. This approach gives its audience something tangible that they can interact with online in their own language, creating a community around Mamdani that exists online as well as in real life.

“He has demonstrated the utmost professionalism throughout the campaign, but he lets the fun swirl around him,” says Ravi Mangla, national press secretary for the Progressive Working Families Party, which has mostly endorsed Mamdani. “He encourages that culture around him, while he himself kind of stays focused on politics and on this campaign and on the real issues that people are facing.”