The magic of Mamdani lies in storytelling

In June, Zohran Mamdani went from who? to become the Democratic candidate for Mayor of New York City.In June, Zohran Mamdani went from who? to become the Democratic candidate for Mayor of New York City. Latest polling indicates that he will triumph in the fall election and become New York's 111th Mayor.

His victory was driven by powerful grassroots organizing, focus on bread and butter issues (especially housing), anti-establishment positioning and compelling storytelling through video.

Zohran’s videos brought stories to life. But not just his story - for Zohran told the story of New York City, by using the city as his backdrop.

In his videos, he lived the life of an ordinary New Yorker. He walked through familiar neighborhoods, rode the subway and placed an order at a deli. This helped him leverage the city as a character in his story. For example, the video that explains his free bus policy is filmed on the Staten Island Ferry - a famously free form of public transport.

Connecting his message to content that his audience is already familiar with helps voters understand his message, connect to it and ultimately see themselves as part of his journey. This effort is complemented by Zohran’s authentic and personal narrative.

Rather than projecting a polished political persona informed by focus groups (cough cough Kamala), Zohran leaned into his identity as a South Asian New Yorker and the son of immigrants by speaking in South Asian tongues in his video to broaden his appeal.

For example, the video where he explained ranked-choice voting using mango lassi and clips from Bollywood films resonated deeply within South Asian communities - because he was speaking their language.

Doing so helped turn these videos into conversation starters in family WhatsApp threads, moving discussions from cultural references to Mamdani's platform for an affordable New York.

This technique bypasses traditional campaign messaging, which often ignores these groups, and instead makes them feel seen and understood. By sharing his own story and heritage, he builds an immediate and genuine connection with voters who share similar experiences.

In other words, Zohran told these groups - I’m just like you. I understand your journey and I feel your pain. Establishing this sense of validation then allowed Zohran the basis upon which to offer solutions to voters problems.

Mamdani's storytelling was so good that he convinced voters that he felt their pain about housing affordability. This is remarkable considering that Mamdani probably hasn't been affected by high housing costs the way many other New Yorkers have been given that his parents are renowned academic Mahmood Mamdani and film director Mira Nair.

Mamdani also exceled at simplifying complex policy proposals and making them emotionally resonant. His viral policy explainer videos, which have garnered millions of views, are a testament to this skill.

For instance, he used a plate of mishti doi, a sweet Bengali dessert, to explain ranked-choice voting with Council Member Shahana Hanif. In this way, Zohran leveraged a foolproof storytelling technique: connect what you’re trying to share to something your audience already knows. In this case, grounding abstract political concepts in familiar cultural touchstones made them easy to understand, memorable and sharable.

His videos consistently focus on the tangible, material issues affecting people’s lives, such as affordability, rent freezes, and fare-free buses. This focus on substance over superficiality is what ultimately makes his content so engaging and shareable.

In essence, Mamdani's video storytelling worked because it was well-crafted, authentic, and relatable. He succeeded because he placed the voter at the center of the message and explained how he would solve their problems.

His videos showed that Mamdani knows that facts and figures don’t move voters: stories do.