"The 34-year-old New York state assemblyman, who in recent months has ascended from relative political anonymity to become the presumptive winner of New York City's November mayoral race, has already graced the covers of Time, New York, Vanity Fair, and The Nation, among other publications. He's sparred with newscasters on CNN and Fox News, riffed with Stephen Colbert, and bantered like his life depended on it with the hosts of The View."
"Much of that conventional media exposure, and Mamdani's growing celebrity, is a collective byproduct of one single element of his mayoral campaign: a really, really good social strategy. One of Mamdani's first viral videos, a 2024 supercut of short conversations between the assemblyman and New York-based Trump voters, laid the groundwork for a subsequent mayoral campaign built on clever, conversational clips."
Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old New York state assemblyman, ascended from relative political anonymity to become the presumptive winner of New York City's November mayoral race. His media presence includes covers of Time, New York, Vanity Fair, and The Nation, plus appearances on CNN, Fox News, Stephen Colbert, and The View. Much of the visibility came from a social strategy centered on viral, conversational clips and personality-driven moments. Early viral work included a 2024 supercut of conversations with Trump voters and staged stunts like a polar plunge, a Manhattan walk, Citi Bike responses, and a Bachelor spoof. The viral approach produced celebrity and a prolific TikTok hashtag, but also provoked backlash, including denunciations from political opponents.
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