New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani had an unorthodox plan for his final nights of campaigning—showing up at the club.
According to various videos circulating, partygoers across the city were in for a surprise as Mamdani, 34, was spotted bopping behind DJ booths, MCing street parties, and participating in Halloween dance memes. The clips are gaining traction across TikTok, but the response has been mixed.
Late Monday night, just hours ahead of polls opening on November 4, Mamdani posted a 5-minute clip on TikTok captioned, “One night, six clubs, a Mayor for every hour.”
It shows footage of Mamdani appearing at various Brooklyn spots over the course of an evening: he spoke at clubs Gabriela and Toñitas in Williamsburg, then headed to Damballa and Mood Ring, and music venue Elsewhere, in Bushwick; attended a party hosted by the queer collective Papi Juice; grabbed a bite at a Halal food cart; and held a small rally at Sutton St., where he danced among a crowd of Halloween costumes in Greenpoint.
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It’s unclear when the events took place, though it was likely on the night of Friday, October 31 or Saturday, November 1—the final days and nights of campaigning.
Mamdani’s video has been viewed over 134,000 times in the hours since it was posted, but even before then his appearances were going viral as people in attendance posted their own clips.
One TikTok video posted by a user who goes by @jackiezeng1 shows Mamdani outside NYU’s campus, accepting the mic from the MC to encourage the crowd to vote. The clip has been viewed almost half a million times since it was posted on November 3.
Another creator, Miranda Sanchez, posted a clip of Mamdani lip syncing to Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” while holding the receiver to her Halloween costume—a photo booth—as the pair danced. The clip, also posted November 3, received a staggering 13 million views and was captioned: “I MET MY MAYOR YALL!!” A follow-up showing the behind-the-scenes of filming the clip received 30,000 views.
A further clip, viewed 1.2 million times, appears to have been filmed from the audience at Damballa. It shows Mamdani behind the DJ booth singing and dancing to “Gyal You A Party Animal,” a 2016 dancehall hit by Charly Black, before giving an impassioned speech to a cheering crowd and finishing off by leading the club into Jay Z and Alicia Keys’ “New York State of Mind.”
Many more TikTok videos showing the mayoral hopeful appealing to party-goers across the city have received hundreds of thousands of views. And while Mamdani is often depicted as a social media darling, the comments represent a range of views—from those amazed at his ability to work the crowds and seemingly boundless energy, to others saying New York City is “doomed” if he wins.
Mamdani, who describes himself as a Democratic socialist, won the Democratic nomination in June with a pro-Palestinian progressive platform aimed at making NYC affordable by increasing taxes on the wealthy. His savvy use of social media during his campaign has been credited as helping raise his profile and winning him fans across the globe.
He is the frontwonner to win the mayoral election; his nearest rival is Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor who resigned in 2021 following allegations of sexual harassment. Cuomo lost to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, and is currently running as an independent. Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa trails behind.
Polls close at 9 p.m. Tuesday, and results will likely be announced shortly after.