Copyright scrippsnews
President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to withhold federal funding from New York City if Democratic New York State assembly member Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor."If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home, because of the fact that, as a Communist, this once great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!" President Trump wrote on social media.But Mamdani is heading for a victory Tuesday to become New York City's next mayor. The 31 year old is leading former governor Andrew Cuomo by double digits. Republican Curtis Sliwa is a distant third.Mamdani's opponents have railed on his lack of experience – but the success of his campaign tactics have likely been influenced by his youth.He's turned his issues, from free buses to affordable housing, into viral posts delivered in an informal, chatty style.He's all over social media, and at times prioritizing podcasts over traditional media – even recently holding an influencer only news conference."You've got to do all the above. You got to, you know, court the traditional media, which I think all the candidates are trying to do. But you got to figure out a formula to make sure that people who are among the new media watchers or engagers get their news sources," said Nick Smith, Former First Deputy Public Advocate for New York City.This strategy propelled Mamdani from being an unknown entity to a national name.RELATED STORY | Hakeem Jeffries endorses NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, saying GOP policies must be opposed"I think there are Trump parallels when it comes to messaging, when it comes to how to excite voters," Smith said.Smith has worked in the halls Mamdani could soon oversee. He says Mamdani's social success has pushed mainstream democrats into a corner, where they've thrown their support behind him after initially voicing concerns."The Democratic Party has lost The White House, they've lost the Senate, they've lost the house, and that's because the Republican Party has been brilliant at messaging, if not policy, for their base. The Democratic Party has to catch up," Smith said.Viral attacks on Mamdani, including one that accuses him of anti-police and anti-semetic remarks, have made a much smaller impact, likely because of the fast-paced social environment."You wake up and you turn on your phone and you see, you know, some some attack ad or some attack piece or attack press comes from a candidate, so voters are more aware of both the, let's say, assets, and the liabilities of their candidates," Smith said.With each election cycle, the voter becomes more accessible – and persuadable — through their phones.
