If imitation is the sincerest type of flattery, Zohran Mamdani ought to really feel extraordinarily flattered.
Andrew Cuomo, who misplaced to Mamdani in New York’s Democratic mayoral main final month, simply kicked off his marketing campaign as an unbiased within the common election—with a launch video that would generously be described as an homage to Mamdani’s acclaimed video model.
Whereas the clip might sign Cuomo’s willingness to play the social media recreation on Mamdani’s phrases, it appears destined to easily spotlight and enlarge the distinction between their efforts.
Maybe probably the most hanging factor about Cuomo’s new launch video is the stark distinction from his earlier one.
Launched again in March, the previous governor’s opening salvo within the main was a 17-and-a-half minute dirge in regards to the dire straits through which New Yorkers at present discover themselves, and Cuomo’s distinctive skill to guide them into the sunshine. Talking indoors and direct-to-camera—as he did through the day by day briefings that boosted his nationwide profile within the early days of COVID—Cuomo struck a reasonable tone in regards to the “threatening“ really feel of the town and the significance of supporting the NYPD.
He closed by basically asking New Yorkers to finish his redemption arc, with out dwelling in any respect on what he’s carried out that wants redeeming. (Cuomo resigned in 2021 after 13 girls accused him of sexual harassment, which he has denied, attributing his resignation to “political stress and media frenzy.”)
That video, nonetheless, debuted earlier than Mamdani earned vast reward for his regular output of participating marketing campaign movies. Quick, splashy, and sunny (in each gentle and tone), to not point out overwhelmingly New York-centric, Mamdani’s clips gave voters a taste of the candidate’s persona and coverage guarantees. They usually racked up views within the tens of millions.
The extent to which Mamdani’s video staff—which incorporates director of digital Andrew Epstein, videographer Donald Borenstein, and manufacturing company Melted Solids—helped Mamdani win is difficult to gauge with out polling. Nonetheless, judging by Cuomo’s first video since shedding to Mamdani within the main, the previous governor appears satisfied these movies helped quite a bit.
From doom and gloom to hope and alter
Cuomo’s marketing campaign relaunch video, launched simply after confirming his candidacy on Monday, clocks in at a breezy 90 seconds. The brand new clip options the previous governor out on the leafiest streets of Manhattan’s Higher East Aspect, shaking fingers and taking selfies with supporters.
All of the whereas, he and the town are bathed in lighting that implies somebody on his staff merely ordered “the Mamdani filter”—and that New York has magically morphed right into a much less threatening place than it was 4 months in the past.
It’s fairly a departure from Cuomo’s earlier video.
“You’re not going to out-Mamdani Mamdani,” a consultant for Cuomo’s marketing campaign advised Quick Firm in a press release. “Nonetheless, we readily admit that our social media recreation through the main wasn’t resonating. We personal that and we made some modifications to raised attain New Yorkers.”
Quick Firm additionally reached out to Mamdani’s staff for remark, however didn’t hear again earlier than press time.
The issue with Cuomo’s new Mamdani-fied strategy is that, by the very nature of its clear imitation, it lacks authenticity and smacks of desperation.
Footage of Mamdani greeting his supporters on the road might have resonated with voters not as a result of they’d by no means seen a candidate do such a factor earlier than however due to how a lot these supporters gentle up once they see him and the way he seems to effortlessly mirror their vitality.
Mamdani’s movies additionally correctly embrace audio of these supporters interacting with the candidate, moderately than relegating them to b-roll footage as Cuomo did—making them really feel much less like flesh-and-blood folks than political props.
It’s additionally troublesome to take the newfound positivity of Cuomo’s video significantly when he nonetheless can’t resist mispronouncing his opponent’s identify in it, at this late date, after beforehand doing so repeatedly, with Mamdani correcting him in actual time on the first debate stage final month.
(A brand new Mamdani video that debuted Tuesday morning begins with an outtake of the candidate gently correcting Brooklyn Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn on her pronunciation of his surname, including “You understand what occurred to the final man that received it improper,” after which each sharing a hearty chuckle.)
Reactions communicate louder than phrases
Social media observers instantly clocked the acquainted really feel of Cuomo’s marketing campaign relaunch video—together with the seen growth mic in a single early shot—and known as it out on each X and Bluesky.
The @DNC has clearly determined that Zohran gained due to slick, man on the road Social Media movies. Not his overwhelmingly widespread coverage, charisma, compassion.
Oh and Cuomo nonetheless doesn't say it proper: It's Mamdani. https://t.co/ZIo55ICJY1
— marty (@MartyOropeza) July 14, 2025
Cuomo broadcasts his common election run by proving the Mamdani sauce ain't really easy to prepare dinner up on the spot with half the components
— Corey Atad (@coreyatad.com) 2025-07-14T18:49:22.168Z
Probably the most brutal response, nonetheless, might have come from Mamdani himself.
Even earlier than Cuomo confirmed he would stay within the face, Mamdani caught wind of his opponent filming an advert, and tweeted about it.
“We received him making man on the road movies with a man in Carhartt,” Mamdani famous. “By subsequent week, he’ll be sipping adeni chai and consuming khaliat al nahl.”
After the eventual video surfaced on-line, Mamdani apparently determined to not say something, however moderately let his supporters’ enthusiasm do the speaking. He replied to Cuomo’s tweet of the video with only a hyperlink to the donation part of his personal web site. Mamdani’s reply has up to now acquired practically thrice as many retweets as Cuomo’s, and roughly 32 instances as many likes.
Maybe we’ll discover out subsequent whether or not Cuomo is as impressed to approximate his opponent’s social media dunking prowess as he’s Mamdani’s movies.
