How Zohran Mamdani Built a Campaign Around Food
The front-runner for New York mayor is leveraging his lifelong love of eating to inform his policy plans and spread his message
But Mr. Mamdani leverages food in a different, more powerful way, said Adam Bozzi, a Washington-based Democratic political strategist who is not involved with any of the mayoral campaigns.
Food is “part of his language to make his politics really accessible,” Mr. Bozzi said. It’s a background character in his videos, meant to make the setting — and him — feel familiar to voters. “Which is different from the actual food being the event, like ‘I am eating fried butter or the cheesesteak.’ That feels a little more contrived.”
Mr. Mamdani’s focus on street foods and inexpensive neighborhood restaurants serves a bigger strategy: portraying himself as a relatable everyman. And while dropping in at restaurants is nothing new for New York politicians, what is different is the way Mr. Mamdani interacts with the owners, said Basil Smikle Jr., a former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party who is now a professor at Columbia’s School of Professional Studies.
“He uses food in the way that an influencer might,” said Dr. Smikle, “versus a Kamala or JD Vance, where it is a little more structured, a little more organized, a little more scripted. He seems more comfortable engaging.”
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