With a little more than a week before election day in New York City, Zohran Mamdani made a surprise appearance this week at PinkPantheress’ tour opener, standing in the crowd with “Our Time Has Come” and “Vote Nov 4” written across his palms. The moment drew cheers — and quickly went viral on social media.
It was the latest example of how the 34-year-old Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor in the nation’s largest city, has tried to appeal to a key constituency: younger voters.
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Meeting Gen Z where they already are
Mamdani has had strong support from young voters throughout the campaign. A Manhattan Institute poll ahead of the Democratic primary in June showed him as the first choice for 60% of 18- to 34-year-olds.
Appearances like the PinkPantheress concert are deliberate. The singer’s fan base skews younger, and Mamdani knows it. Last month, he made a similar surprise appearance at the All Things Go festival, joining performer Lucy Dacus on stage to raucous applause.
His campaign tapped into New York’s streetwear and fashion culture by running a pop-up screen-printing shop in Manhattan, where volunteers received free tote bags, T-shirts and stickers. As Mamdani walked the streets meeting voters, the merch became a campaign tool and a fashion statement.
While Mamdani courts Gen Z through concerts and streetwear, his opponents are sticking with more conventional tactics. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, has focused on experience and policy, highlighting housing and public safety through ads and press events rather than pop-culture appearances.
Meanwhile, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa has leaned on grassroots outreach, including community stops and media interviews, to emphasize his law-and-order message. Neither candidate has ventured into the merch drops or concert cameos that have defined Mamdani’s bid to energize younger voters.
Pairing pop culture with policy
Still, Mamdani’s push isn’t just about music and merch. He’s also amplifying his progressive platform by teaming up with political heavyweights.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., joined him at Sunday’s “New York Is Not for Sale” rally — an event that nearly filled a 13,000-seat arena. “We must remember in a time such as this, we are not the crazy ones, New York City,” Ocasio-Cortez told supporters. “We are not the outlandish ones.”
