NEW YORK — Riding the Digital Wave to Political Success
Zohran Mamdani has harnessed the power of digital media to catapult himself into political prominence in New York, inspiring a generation of millennials and Gen Zers to dream big for their own political futures.
The newly elected mayor has invigorated the youth vote in New York City, garnering nearly 70 percent support from voters aged 18 to 44. His innovative publicity strategy—featuring shareable graphics, partnerships with content creators, and animations from local artists—has effectively engaged a demographic that primarily consumes news through bite-sized TikTok videos and social media snippets rather than traditional news outlets.
Across the nation, a surge of millennial and Gen Z Democratic candidates is following Mamdani’s lead, eager to shake up the aging party structure. From a 25-year-old political influencer in Arizona to a 35-year-old congressional candidate in Idaho, and a 24-year-old mayoral hopeful in Georgia, these young leaders are ready to make their mark.
“This year’s prevailing sentiment is clear: ‘I’m done waiting. Enough with being told it’s not my turn,’” stated Amanda Litman, CEO of Run for Something, an organization dedicated to recruiting progressive candidates under 40.
This wave of youthful enthusiasm extends beyond New York, influencing races in red and purple states as younger Democrats experiment with digital-first campaigns to offset constraints like limited funding and party support.
What’s more, this phenomenon has reignited a critical conversation within the Democratic Party regarding the essentials of building a viable campaign. Are traditional gatekeepers misjudging how younger voters engage with politics? While Gen Z and millennials represent different age groups, both share a remarkable digital fluency and a noticeable detachment from the party’s entrenched power structures.
Evidence of this shift is already apparent in candidate recruitment efforts. Following Mamdani’s primary victory, Run for Something reported a spike of 10,000 young Democrats eager to launch their own campaigns. An additional 1,616 potential candidates signed up within a single day after a shutdown-ending deal was reached to reopen the government, according to the organization.
“We’re cultivating a party of fighters, not folders,” Litman remarked on X in November, accompanied by a graph highlighting the surge in sign-ups.
This push for younger candidates coincides with an older Democratic leadership that does not reflect the electorate’s demographics. According to the Pew Research Center, the average age in the House and Senate stands at approximately 58 and 65, respectively, while the median school board member is 59. In contrast, the median age in the United States is 39.
Over 20 progressives under 40 have announced congressional campaigns for this election cycle, nearly half aiming to unseat fellow party members. With the Democratic Party lacking a clear leader, the younger generation is eager to introduce fresh faces into the political arena.
For those lacking the financial backing or institutional support to mount a competitive campaign, social media provides an accessible avenue. The simplicity of building an online following has lowered the perceived barriers to running for office, despite the unchanging fundamentals of campaigning—fundraising, voter turnout, and organization.
Consider Sam Foster, a 24-year-old from Marietta, Georgia, who cycled to his first campaign video shoot against incumbent Steve Tumlin, who is 78. Foster views social media not merely as a strategy but as a natural mode of communication for his generation.
“I dislike when people label it a social media campaign,” Foster explained. “I approached content creation with the goal of simply showing people who I am. We subsequently developed a strategy around that, but that wasn’t the original intent.”
Mamdani, a democratic socialist who polled at under 1 percent in February, kicked off his campaign in July with videos asking New Yorkers why they supported Trump. His subsequent videos—including discussions on “halalflation”, a polar plunge in a full suit to symbolize a proposal to “freeze” rents, and a Valentine’s Day voter registration initiative—kept him relevant on social media platforms.
The more he engaged online, the more support he attracted, even from users outside New York City.
“If executed effectively, [social media] can enable you to gather numerous small donations from diverse sources,” noted Chris Coffey, a veteran political consultant and CEO of Tusk Strategies.
One of Mamdani’s videos requested donations for his transition team, and the comment section overflowed with pledges from supporters as far away as Europe, alongside domestic backing from Texas, California, and Florida. From July to the November election, Mamdani raised over $750,000 from more than 8,500 contributors outside of New York City, according to the Campaign Finance Board data.
Coffey drew parallels to Andrew Yang, who similarly leveraged social media to raise $750,000 in just one day during his 2020 presidential campaign, with an average donation of $41.
“Both Yang and Mamdani effectively utilized their social media presence to attract numerous small donors, which fueled their campaigns, minimized the emphasis on large contributions, and allowed them to compete on equal footing with candidates chasing bigger dollars,” explained Coffey, who managed Yang’s 2021 bid for New York City mayor.
Mamdani’s compelling messaging inspired over 100,000 volunteers to actively engage on New York streets throughout his mayoral campaign.
His approach resonated with authenticity, focusing on pressing issues that disproportionately affect young and working-class New Yorkers, such as housing, childcare, and affordability.
For younger voters, the perception of authenticity is a significant concern within the Democratic Party. Candidates like Mamdani are proving skilled at delivering heartfelt messages, as noted by Deja Foxx, a grassroots organizer and digital strategist who previously ran for Arizona’s 7th Congressional District.
“Public expectations for engagement with political figures have evolved over the past decade,” Foxx remarked. “We are inundated with content on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, where videos from our representatives blend seamlessly with updates from old friends. This demands a level of vulnerability that older elected officials often struggle to embody.”
The rise of online-first campaigning has blurred the line between political advocacy and performance. Jack Schlossberg, the 32-year-old grandson of John F. Kennedy, is running for Rep. Jerry Nadler’s congressional seat with a provocative social media presence, often delivering outrageous political commentary to his 860,000 followers.
Schlossberg shares mundane details, like being insulted by a passerby, and has been known to impersonate Melania Trump while reading a letter of support for Vladimir Putin. His content spans a variety of topics, from trolling his uncle Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to explaining political news with a humorous twist.
While Schlossberg’s antics capture an audience and spark conversations, they lack the substantive promises and policies that other candidates are prioritizing.
For those not bearing the Kennedy name—such as Kaylee Peterson, a 35-year-old candidate from Idaho in the historically Republican 1st District—social media serves as their gateway into a pay-to-play world of campaigning.
“Social media is our most viable tool for reaching disenfranchised Gen Z and millennial voters,” Peterson stated. “Mamdani’s success and the massive national support he received have inspired us all.”
Like many progressive candidates in conservative regions, Peterson reported receiving no support or even a callback from the Democratic National Committee. Instead, she found her allies and strategists in social media groups where young candidates congregate—on platforms like TikTok Live, Instagram, and various messaging apps.
After losing a campaign against Republican incumbent Rep. Russell Mark Fulcher in 2022 with just $70,000 in funding, Peterson focused on message dissemination and mobilizing progressives in her district. In her third campaign cycle, while still unsuccessful in her bid for the seat, she raised nearly $250,000.
While Mamdani may represent a beacon of hope, he could also be an outlier. His digital success amplified existing strengths and allowed him to extend his reach beyond the confines of the five boroughs.
“Social media plays a crucial role in campaigns,” Coffey affirmed. “Yet, so do effective messaging, a capable team, a robust press apparatus, and the candidate’s willingness to engage in the hard, tedious work of campaigning.”
