If you’re a New York City parent of a 2022 or 2023 baby, you probably can’t look up (or down at your phone) without seeing Mayor Mamdani’s face over the last six weeks.
He was everywhere. Doing adorable press conferences with preschoolers, building snowmen with kids after the blizzard, partnering with influencers, making videos in imperfect but well-intentioned Spanish with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and advertising across LinkNYC kiosks, ferries, and in the backs of cars across the city.
Days before the Feb. 27 deadline, reports of robo-calls directly from Mamdani swept through the parent group chats as people were reminded to sign up for 3-K or pre-K before it was too late.
This marketing blitz — combined with aggressive on-the-ground outreach and community engagement — wasn’t just for show. It was instrumental to the mayor’s goal of achieving universal child care, and further proof that in 2026, politicians being good communicators is a necessity.
Consider how in 2025, 1 in 5 seats in pre-K and 3-K went unfilled, in part because then-Mayor Eric Adams simply didn’t care that much to try.
At the same, thousands of students didn’t get an offer to their preferred 3-K program as supply and demand are not yet aligned given how new the program is.
Fewer people enrolled in 3-K and pre-K means there’s less intel about where the city needs to stand up new programs. Meanwhile, child care centers close due to insufficient enrollment and the argument to keep or increase funding in future years gets even weaker, which means even fewer spots available. We get stuck in a doom loop.
I’m reflecting on this as I think back to after Mamdani won the primary last year. There was rampant, annoying debate within the Democratic Party about whether he only won because of his videos and communication style or his policy positions. (The answer is both).
What that debate missed is that in the fragmented attention economy of 2026, the skills he needed to win the election are the same skills he needed to be a successful mayor.
While politicians in the 1990s might have been able to put out a TV ad or do an interview on the local five o’clock news and call it a day, that’s barely the tip of the iceberg nowadays. A good politician today needs to be able to reach the person who hasn’t paid for cable in years, and or only listens to sports podcasts or consumes parenting content.
But it’s not just about reaching them: An effective communicator needs to be able to hook those voters in a way that’s entertaining but also disciplined.
It’s easier said than done, and admittedly, Mamdani is extraordinary at it. But he’s not alone.
Across the country, there’s a new generation of leaders who similarly can capture attention and turn it into action. From my purview at Run for Something, where we work with hundreds of Millennial and Gen Z candidates for state and local office each year, I’ve been thrilled to see leaders who share Mamdani’s aptitude for the internet begin to put their skills to good use for effective governance.
Check out Fla. Rep. Anna Eskamani, Calif. state Sen. Sasha Renee Perez, Atlanta City Councilmember Kelsea Bond, or N.J. Assemblymember Katie Brennan as just a few of the examples.
Undercut these politicians as “influencers” or “content creators” at your own peril. Good communication is necessary for good governance — and what that means in 2026 has changed rapidly. The leaders who can break through won’t just win elections; they’ll actually be better at the jobs they win because of it.
Litman is the co-founder & president of Run for Something.
