"Mamdani's run was barely a blip then, but Califano sensed the swell of something shifting. He asked Mamdani's communications director if he could follow the campaign behind the scenes (and on his own dime) for a long-term documentary project. They said yes, and over the next nine months, Califano embedded himself within Zohran's team, photographing everything from union rallies to neighborhood canvassers to Ramadan iftars among aunties. He burned through more than 100 rolls of film in the process."
"It was near midnight, and he was gliding between stalls and bodegas, activating the city's Muslim community-roughly 9 percent of New Yorkers-with his now signature mix of warmth and urgency. Jack and I, cameras in hand, could barely keep up as Zohran disappeared into the blur of lights and music. In nearly every frame I took that night, Jack's curly hair shows up somewhere in the corner."
"By November, Mamdani had done what almost no one believed was possible. He defeated Andrew Cuomo by a wide margin and was elected New York City's 111 th mayor-and its first Muslim and South Asian one. Mamdani built a new coalition of working-class Black, Latino, and South Asian voters in the outer boroughs, alongside young progressives across Brooklyn and northern Manhattan, flipping neighborhoods that had once been Cuomo strongholds."
Zohran Mamdani's campaign rose from polling at 8 percent in March to winning New York City's mayoralty in November by defeating Andrew Cuomo decisively. A photojournalist embedded for nine months, documenting rallies, canvassing, Ramadan iftars, and community events, and used over 100 rolls of film to capture human moments. Mamdani mobilized the city's Muslim population and forged a coalition of working-class Black, Latino, and South Asian voters in the outer boroughs, combined with young progressives across Brooklyn and northern Manhattan. The campaign flipped former Cuomo strongholds through grassroots organizing, community activation, and a mix of warmth and urgency.
Read at Slate Magazine
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