How Mamdani Won: Field Director Tascha Van Auken on Grassroots Organizing Behind Historic Victory

[Uncle Joe]

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is less than two months away from taking office in New York City. Mamdani's history-making campaign, grounded in community organizing, propelled the little-known Assembly-member to victory. Candidate Mamdani famously began the campaign polling at just 1% and overcame the intense scrutiny, Islamaphobic attacks, criticism for his support for Palestinian rights, and more. By election day, more than 2 million New Yorkers had cast their votes, a turnout record that hasn't been matched going back more than half a century.

His success is in part due to massive on-the-ground organizing and an operation of more than 104,000 volunteers. “We knew that we wanted it to be very big,” says Tascha Van Auken, field director for Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign. “We prioritized developing leadership and bringing in as many volunteers as possible.”