If mayoral hopeful, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani has demonstrated one unique strength in his campaign, it’s his willingness to think outside of the box to engage voters and supporters. Thousands of his supporters participated in a city-wide scavenger hunt held by his campaign earlier this August, though his team only anticipated 500 participants. In another campaigning effort and a nod to quintessential New Yorker identity, Mamdani’s campaign also introduced Zetro Cards (a pun on the soon-to-be-defunct MetroCard) to boost voter turnout and canvassing efforts.
Most recently, on Oct. 19, the campaign has teamed with local co-ed soccer club Footy NYC to hold the first-ever inter-borough soccer tournament, named the Cost of Living Classic, in Brooklyn’s Maimonides Park. According to the Mamdani Campaign, over 1,500 people from all five boroughs attended the event, while amateur soccer players from across the city competed in a six-hour tournament to vie for division titles. All the while, campaign volunteers strolled through the stands registering last-minute voters. By the semi-finals, all five boroughs had at least one team represented in all divisions.
Mamdani will likely be the city’s next mayor by default, with Mayor Adams dropping his bid, and former New York Governor Cuomo and Curtis Silwa polling far behind the millennial candidate. Yet, attendees of the Cost of Living Classic expressed an excitement for his campaign messaging: making New York City more affordable for everyone. He delivered this message continually throughout his campaign, not through standard meet-and-greets or media-only press conferences, but through social media and interactive pop-up events with only days’ notice, and with a distinct focus on New York Culture.
Voters across all demographics were won over, especially diverse Gen-Z and millennial voters.
Marielle Argueza photos
“I was actually aware of Mamdani when he was running to be an assemblymember. I met him four years ago, just at a bar randomly,” said Joy Malonza, a Brooklyn resident and soccer fan. “To me Mamdani represents a lot of change and a progressive voice in a very unprogressive landscape and an anti-establishment perspective to politics. I have supported him and I will continue to support him.”
And with just a few weeks until Election Day, new supporters felt equally invigorated by his messaging, too, like Sani Larena. A Brooklyn resident and Cost of Living Classic attendee, she expressed that his candidacy was refreshing in a field of older and unrelatable politicians.
“I think I got tired of seeing the same form of politics. And I feel like him coming at the forefront with fresh ideas and also making New York affordable. That’s the main reason why, but he’s also young! I got tired of seeing older people running. When he came in, I said, ‘OK, this is different.’ I want to see where he’s gonna lead,” she said.
His appeal makes sense in today’s political landscape. In a 2024 analysis of New York City voters, youth ambassadors and researchers for the New York City Campaign Finance Board found that younger voters closely align their politics with their personal identities and community values. They also found that the same demographic often felt alienated by politicians, which ran the gamut of factors, including age, perceived corruption, and personal attacks on the campaign trail.
Addressing the press, Mamdani said this of his campaign: “Whether it’s the scavenger hunt, whether it’s the cost of living classic, it’s an illustration of what politics could be. A way for people to actually come together and to do so while both celebrating what it is that we love about this city, and acknowledging the things that make it hard.”
He continued, “So much of the politics that I am up against, whether it’s the candidates in this race or across the country, is out of fear — looking at New Yorkers you don’t know — and saying those are the people keeping you down. What we know is that those are the same New Yorkers with the same issues and they deserve to have a leader who looks at everyone on this pitch, and across the five boroughs as the people they actually need to be serving.”