When Zohran Mamdani stunned New York City's political establishment by defeating former Governor 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 assemblyman's historic victory was a strategic mind who helped reshape how 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.
Two days before the New York mayoral election, Michael Lange made a big electoral prediction not just of who would win overall, or in each borough or neighborhood, but block by block. Lange, a political analyst born and raised in New York City, has spent over a decade in progressive politics and has become something of a local celebrity this year for his deep dives into city data and polling.
My father, a proud Naval Academy graduate, served two tours in Vietnam, flying A-4s off aircraft carriers. He raised me with a strong sense of patriotism, a commitment to service, and a belief in community - a community that includes everyone: rich and poor, black and white, gay and straight, left and right, young and old, Jews, Muslims, Christians, and everyone in between.