FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Who is the young woman from Bangladesh who devised Mamdan's strategy?
When Zohran Mamdani shocked the New York City political establishment by defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary and winning the mayoral election last week, much of the attention focused on his viral social media presence and charismatic appeal to young voters.
But behind the 34-year-old's historic victory was a strategic mind who helped reshape the way the campaign connected with voters: Zara Rahim, a communications expert who has spent more than a decade at the intersection of politics, culture and digital strategy.
Rahim, who has served as Mamdani’s top adviser since February, gave him a key piece of advice that would shape the campaign’s approach. As one adviser told the New York Times last summer, Rahim urged Mamdani to “forget about the New York that political strategists have created” and instead “campaign about the New York City that is real.” That directive became the foundation for a grassroots operation that mobilized more than 90,000 volunteers and engaged voters who had long been sidelined by the city’s political elite.
A full CV
The 35-year-old strategist brought an unusual background to the mayoral race. A first-generation Bangladeshi American raised in South Florida, Rahim began her political career as an intern on Barack Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012, where she was promoted to Florida’s Director of Digital Content. The role, which involved registering voters and educating them about key issues through digital platforms, taught her how to leverage social media for political organizing. She went on to work in the White House Office of Digital Strategy before joining Uber, where she helped draft ride-hailing legislation.
After working on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, Rahim moved into the fashion world, serving as Communications Director at Vogue magazine from 2017 to 2018. There, she worked alongside influential figures in fashion, art, politics, and entertainment, honing skills that would later prove valuable in shaping Mamdani’s public image. More recently, she has worked as an independent communications consultant for clients including A24, Mariah Carey, and Netflix.
Strategy for Mamdani
Rahim’s strategy for Mamdani focused on authenticity and direct contact with voters, especially communities that traditional campaigns often neglected. She understood that the campaign’s success on social media had to be supported by real engagement on the ground. As she told the New York Times, there was a “heavy schedule” of TikTok and Instagram videos shot between face-to-face events, during which the mayor-elect would speak in languages like Spanish and Hindi to address working-class people. These were “uncles and aunts from Bangladesh and aunties from West Africa who had never voted in a mayoral primary,” according to Rahim. “They see someone showing up at their mosques and treating their neighborhoods like they matter.” New York City is home to nearly a million Muslim residents.
The strategy extended to how the campaign responded to the attacks. When Cuomo made controversial comments that Mamdani's supporters characterized as Islamophobic, Rahim was quick to condemn the former governor's tactics. "He's just trying to curry favor with Muslims by saying look at this bad Muslim - this is a desperate tactic from a man who has nothing to say to Muslims," she told CNN.
Rahim worked alongside other key campaign figures, including Maya Handa, Tascha Van Auken and Faiza Ali, who all played crucial roles in the victory. Van Auken, the field director, oversaw an unprecedented volunteer operation that knocked on 1.6 million doors during the primary alone and led to 247,000 conversations with voters. By the general election, the number of volunteers had grown to more than 90,000 people.
The campaign combined old-fashioned organizing with the same digital virality that characterized Obama’s early political career. Mamdani’s videos garnered tens of millions of views online. Yet the campaign maintained what organizers described as “a culture of connection” rather than the “culture of extraction” typical of Democratic get-out-the-vote efforts.
Following Mamdani's victory on November 4, he announced an all-female transition team that included Rahim along with former Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Lina Khan, former Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, United Way President Grace Bonilla and former Deputy Mayor Melanie Hartzog.
The team will lead the administration as Mamdani prepares to take office on January 1, 2026, as the city's first Muslim mayor, the first mayor from South Asia and the youngest mayor in more than a century. /Adapted from "Pamphlet" by "Fortune"
Kaq te apasionuar qenkeni me socialiste, komuniste e marksiste.....
Me ai i drejtohej vetes vetëm Cezari. Sipas Ai/ Ay-së duhet që njrzit jenë me hajdutët trilionerë, si Mask , vrasësit e fëmijëve si Netajahu, apo me kllounin Tramp që po bën çorap Amerikën e Botën ? PS. Zot sa idiotë ka kjo dynja
Mamdani midis te tjerash ka premtuar pakesimin e numrit te policeve ne NYC. Kur te kercasin vrasjet dhe vjedhjet do e marre vesh NY se ka votuar per nje majmun mediatik, qe mbeshtetet nga parazitet e nivelit me te ulet te qytetit