Zohran Mamdani’s historic win in the New York mayoral elections has been guided by his focus on ‘affordability’, and mastery of social media. The 34-year-old’s slick videos on TikTok and Instagram helped raise his profile and attract a swathe of voters and volunteers, as per reports. Behind Mamdani’s viral campaign visuals was creative director Andrew Epstein.
Who is Andrew Bard Epstein?
Andrew Bard Epstein is one of the architects behind Zohran Mamdani’s highly successful social media strategy, as per Financial Times.
A Yale University alum, Andrew Epstein has degrees in History, as per his LinkedIn profile. Prior to serving as the creative director for Zohran Mamdani’s campaign, he worked as the Chief of Staff at the New York State Assembly.
From colourful graphics, iconic hits such as ‘New York Groove’ to Zohran Mamdani taking a ride around NYC in a cart – the newly elected New York Mayor’s Instagram feed pops up a plethora of interactive reels and posts.
What made Mamdani’s social media campaign successful?
Epstein said the online connect between Mamdani and his voters was reinforced in real life – which made the social media campaign successful.
“One of the reasons why the social media videos are successful is that as people were developing this relationship to Zohran and our agenda, through their phones , they were then getting their doors knocked on by volunteers, or they were seeing canvassers in the streets, or they were turning on their TV or listening to a podcast,” Epstein told FT.
He added that the main distinction between Mamdani and his main rival Andrew Cuomo’s campaign was about how much the former governor “talks about his resume,” as against “Zohran talking about what he will do.”
Andrew Cuomo is the former New York governor and is also the son of a governor.
How many votes did Mamdani win?
Zohran Mamdani bagged the win by securing over 50% of the votes.
Apart from Mamdani, Democrats secured the mayoral wins in Virginia and New Jersey, the only states with elections for new leaders this year.
Democratic nominee Mikie Sherrill was elected as the governor of New Jersey, defeating Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a former state representative
According to a report by New York Times, Mamdani’s “intense focus on affordability, mastery of social media and relentlessly infectious optimism about New York galvanized record turnout among young voters and immigrant groups, catapulting him past more seasoned rivals.”
