From clubs to courtside: Zohran Mamdani is everywhere you wouldn’t expect a politician to be
In a world where politicians lure in their audiences with recycled speeches, empty promises, and self-boasting spiels à la Trump and many a Pakistani politician, imagine one who’s out clubbing with the youth and belting out ‘Empire State of Mind’ like he means it just days before the election.
With 90,000 young people canvassing New York for him, Zohran Mamdani clearly means business — though his kind of business comes with a healthy dose of chaos and charm.
From dancing with a bodega cat at a Bronx grocery store to practising Tai Chi with seniors just three days before the New York City mayoral election — let’s just say Mamdani’s campaign playbook looks nothing like anyone else’s. Let’s have a look at all the places you’ll find Mamdani winning hearts:
At the club
Ever seen your neighbourhood candidate partying to Jay Z till two in the morning during his campaign? Well that’s what we mean when we say Mamdani isn’t just any politician.
He was found over the DJ booth, singing and dancing to Jay Z and Alicia Keys’ ‘Empire State of Mind’ like a true New Yorker. The crowd waving their flashlights and singing back as he belted out, “In New York, concrete jungle (yeah) where dreams are made of” — pure magic.
Freestyling in the park
On Sundays, you might find him in Washington Square Park performing freestyle to ‘And I Go (To the Polls)’ with NYC-based mobile beat-maker and street performer ARIatHome, as the crowd bobs their heads to the beat in unison.
Cheering on the NY Knicks
You can always rely on Mamdani to bring the “Zohran Effect” with him wherever he goes, even to a NY Knicks basketball game.
You’d think, with the election right around the corner, he’d be too busy for court-side antics — but cheering for his favourite basketball team at the top of his lungs clearly made it onto his priority list.
Getting interviewed on the street
If you’ve ever found yourself doom-scrolling past those street interview reels, don’t be surprised if Mamdani suddenly shows up on your screen.
One minute, he is guessing New York-centric songs thrown at him by the TrackStar, next he’s confessing his deep dark secrets on the Are You Okay? show. For example, he wishes he was wearing a shirt in his ‘Nani’ music video.
All over your TikTok
We really wouldn’t believe you if you said you hadn’t seen at least one TikTok reel with the iconic ‘The name is Mamdanis’ song playing in the background or reels of his fans dubbing his speeches.
A clip that instantly turned into a meme as well as a banger song — Mamdani pausing mid-rhetoric during a heated mayoral debate to correct his opponent’s mispronunciation: “The name is Mamdani. M-A-M-D-A-N-I. You should learn how to say it, because we have to get it right.”
I MET MY MAYOR YALL!! Last day of early voting, Election Day on Tuesday 11/4, GET OUT THERE AND VOTE NYC!! @Zohran Mamdani @Creators 4 Zohran #halloween2025 #zohranmamdani
In a Halloween reel with NYC creator Siranda Manchez, Mamdani captured peak campaign chaos — “When you have a Halloween party at 11 but an election to win at 12.” Because who says democracy can’t come with a costume change?
On your dad’s WhatsApp
Even the classic desi dad Eid-forward message got an upgrade this year — courtesy of Mamdani’s Eid wish, edited in full 90s-style desi wedding video glory.
You can count on seeing him in many, many other random places. He’s also on everyone’s minds, since we’re all following along from thousands of miles away!
Comments