New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has enlisted an army of online influencers to promote his agenda to residents.

A new report notes how his office has recruited hundreds of influencers with a combined following of millions of people to tout his administration’s achievements and to sway public opinion in his favor, according to Columbia Journalism Review.

Whether he’s sitting with kids to promote pre-K, putting on a hard hat and holding a shovel to announce a new infrastructure project, riding a bicycle in support of bike lanes, or answering a question from an influencer on the street, Mayor Mamdani’s administration appears to be keeping busy promoting new policies and city services. The mayor’s office has held influencer-only press briefings, hired a host of new communications staffers, and created a network of influencers who push out his messages to their followers.

On TikTok and Instagram, influencers remind New Yorkers to vote, go to the doctor, participate in city budget talks, and compost their food waste.  

Our forthcoming report, to be published by Columbia Journalism School’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism and the Initiative for Policy Dialogue at Columbia University, maps this new ecosystem and the changes that have taken place in New York City in 2026.

We reveal that there are two types of relationships in place. There are pilot programs aimed at using influencers on Instagram and TikTok to promote city services and initiatives including immigration rights, public budgeting processes, and tenants’ rights, as well as preexisting campaigns providing information about voting and healthcare. 

There is also a newly created Signal group just for influencers, which was formed out of the Creators4Zohran group that supported the mayor’s election campaign. NYC Creators Announcements is run by Emilia Rowland, the director of new media and cultural communications at the NYC Office of the Mayor. Via the encrypted-messaging app, members receive daily updates, talking points, and clips to use in their posts. They are invited to events and offered interviews with city officials.

By using the dedicated Signal group and working with content creators for campaigns, Mamdani seeks to reach a diverse array of demographics more effectively than traditional advertising. 

But there are concerns over transparency as the effort blurs the lines between organic social media content and paid political promotion. Critics point out that Mamdani’s office has not done consistent disclosures regarding its financial relationships with these influencers.

They also note that influencers who often interview local government officials refrain from the hard lines of questioning associated with traditional journalism.

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In essence, Mamdani has recruited a gaggle of social media personalities to persuade New Yorkers that he’s doing an excellent job as mayor.