Over 80 volunteers gathered at Herbert Von King Park in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Sunday with renewed energy for the campaign relaunch of Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani. The event included a training session on community outreach ahead of the November general election.
Austin Dilley, a Crown Heights resident and field volunteer coordinator for Zohran’s Bed-Stuy campaign, has worked as a line cook for the past five years. He said he became frustrated with the economic strain of trying to meet basic needs while living in the city and felt elected officials were not doing enough to make New York City more affordable and livable for working-class residents.
“When Zohran started running I was really upset with the results of the presidential election and looking for a way to get involved locally, and Zohran gave me the perfect way to plug in,” Dilley said.
On Sunday, the campaign officially mobilized more than 2,500 volunteers at 50 volunteer sites across the five boroughs, according to campaign leaders.
“We need to change the narrative so that we don't have these terrible expectations that politicians will do nothing, they actually should be doing something and fighting for the people who live here,” added Dilley.
On primary day, 545,334 voters voted for Mamdani, or 56% of the total, according to the final tally of ranked-choice votes from the New York City Board of Elections. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo garnered 428,530 votes, or 44%.
Brooklyn played a big part in Mamdani’s win, where about 40% of the total votes for Mamdani came from borough residents.
"It's been a long time since Obama 2008 that I've been like this excited about a candidate,” said Aaron Burdett, a Bed-Stuy resident and a new volunteer. “I know there's going to be some people hesitant out there because there's a lot of misinformation about Zohran from his opponents. I think being able to talk to people, explain how we’re actually going to help, is really going to change people's minds.”
After a brief canvassing training session, experienced volunteers were paired with newcomers and assigned to “turfs,” or a list of specific addresses and apartments to knock on for their outreach.
Julie Swoop, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America since 2017, has been volunteering with Mamdani's campaign since its official launch.
“A lot of us went quite hard during the primary and it's great to see new people turning out that can help us out during the general,” Swoop said.
Isabel Lee, a Bed-Stuy resident and field coordinator for Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, said the turnout reflected a deeper shift in political engagement.
“A lot of people here today are first-time canvassers. They’re new to politics,” she said. “I think moving people from apathy to caring about change in their city especially in a historically Black neighbourhood like Bed-Stuy, where people have been burned for so long, they haven't been catered to by the city.”
Residents do not deserve a leader who simply goes on TV to say they care about the city, and then "sells out to predatory real estate and rising prices,” said Cole Sansom, a Bed-Stuy resident, volunteer and member of the New York City DSA Electoral Working Group.
“We need to change the narrative. People expect politicians to do nothing but they should be fighting for the people who live here,” Sansom said.
