Two more de Blasio alums join Mamdani campaign

Two new people are joining Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani’s campaign as he looks to consolidate support and further expand his outreach across New York City heading into the November general election. 

Elana Leopold, who served in several senior roles under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, will be a senior adviser for the campaign, working closely with Mamdani’s chief adviser, Elle Bisgaard-Church. A veteran political strategist with years entrenched in progressive politics, Leopold will be a liaison to civic, business and cultural leaders across the city. 

Building relationships with the city’s powerful business community is particularly important to Mamdani’s efforts to capture broader support after the Democratic primary. Leaders and stakeholders in the business world largely backed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the general election, fearing Mamdani’s progressive proposals, including raising taxes for the city’s wealthiest residents and boosting the minimum wage to $30 an hour. While the primary results left many of these leaders reeling, Mamdani has since embarked on a charm offensive, hoping to find areas of common ground. Leopold will seek to further this work, drawing from her time in the private sector – including at the helm of her own firm and as a founding partner of the political consulting firm Seneca Strategies – and at de Blasio’s City Hall. 

“I’ve seen how powerful it is when civic, business and community leaders come together around a bold vision for New York City,” Leopold said in a statement. “Zohran is fighting for a fairer, more inclusive city, and I’m excited to help strengthen and grow the coalition that will make that vision a reality.”

Louise Yeung, most recently a chief climate officer in Comptroller Brad Lander’s office, also recently joined Mamdani’s campaign as a policy director. She too previously worked under the de Blasio administration – albeit in a less direct role than Leopold as director of resiliency for the city Department of Transportation from 2019 to 2022.  

Leopold and Yeung are the most recent in a string of new hires made by Mamdani’s campaign. While a small team helped power his success in the primary, he’s significantly expanded his staff as he gears up for an unusually chaotic general election battle.