How Zohran Mamdani’s used social media to beat Cuomo

Zohran Mamdani’s online videos have echoes of the meme-fueled Kamala Harris presidential campaign, but there were key differences.

Sitting on the subway and holding a MetroCard as a microphone, Zohran Mamdani had a hot take for New York City: He should be its next mayor.

The scene was from a June “Subway Takes” TikTok video that amassed more than 3 million views — part of a broader push by Mamdani to meet voters where they lived online. By the time his grassroots campaign reached primary day, he had won the backing of major social media figures like Emily Ratajkowski and engaged with voters through popular accounts like Pop Crave.

Thousands expressed enthusiasm for his candidacy in comments on his dozens of social media videos, which experts say pitched his platform and personality to voters so convincingly that he outpaced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in polls before beating him in first-choice votes in the ranked-choice primary. (It may take a week or longer for the winner to be declared.)

When Mamdani, a 33-year-old state lawmaker, announced his mayoral candidacy last fall, he was little-known and considered a long shot. He was a self-described democratic socialist and deeply critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza — factors that made him an unlikely Democratic candidate at a time when the party was veering away from left-leaning values.

But in the months leading up to Tuesday’s election, Mamdani skyrocketed from obscurity to internet fame, amassing more than 1 million followers on Instagram, as well as hundreds of thousands on TikTok and X. Though his viral social media campaign has echoes of Kamala Harris’ own meme-filled presidential run, analysts say Mamdani’s exhibited key differences that helped usher him to an apparent victory.