How Mamdani was convinced to back Boylan

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s decision to endorse Lindsey Boylan in the special election for New York City Council District 3 was on the advice of his close political adviser Morris Katz, four people with knowledge of the mayor’s political strategy told City & State. One described being “thoroughly baffled” by the decision. 

Boylan got just 26% of first-choice votes, trailing the winner Carl Wilson by 17 points. Final results won’t be clear until the city Board of Election completes ranked choice voting tabulation next month, but Boylan conceded Tuesday night, leaving the mayor with a black eye in the first real test of the power of his political endorsement. 

The mayor was convinced his endorsement could make a meaningful difference in the race, a special election to fill the West Side City Council seat vacated by Erik Bottcher. Katz did not comment for this story.

It was a tough contest that pitted Boylan against Wilson, who worked for Bottcher and had the lion’s share of support from labor and local electeds, including Council Speaker Julie Menin. Also running were Layla Law-Gisiko and Leslie Boghosian Murphy. Boylan first came to prominence for publicly accusing former Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment in 2020, and she campaigned hard against his 2025 mayoral campaign, showing up at Cuomo’s events to remind the public of his downfall amid allegations of harassment and abuse. (Cuomo has maintained he did nothing wrong.) Boylan also volunteered for Mamdani on primary election day and endorsed him in the general election. 

Boylan’s campaign suggested the endorsement was a thank you for that effort.

"Lindsey was an early and very vocal supporter of the Mayor's campaign and she fought tirelessly to get him elected, and to ensure the public knew the truth about the extent of the disgraced former Governor's abuses of power,” Boylan’s campaign spokesperson Paloma Naderi said in a statement. “She shares his vision and commitment to an affordable city, and she was a key surrogate and validator for Zohran Mamdani's campaign."

But this wasn't a typical Mamdani endorsee. While candidates like Mamdani acolytes Diana Moreno and Claire Valdez had organized with Mamdani’s political home of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America for years, Boylan is new to DSA, joining only after the mayor's primary election win. And she lacked the record of organizing in her district that all of her opponents had – even drawing an oppo hit that she spends much of her time at a multimillion-dollar home in Westchester.

The Working Families Party also endorsed Boylan in early March, along with other progressive pols like Lander, state Sen. Julia Salazar and Council Member Tiffany Cabán, but some of Mamdani’s other allies chose not to get involved in the special election for Council District 3, or were involved with an opposing campaign. The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America declined to endorse in the race, though Boylan is a new member. “There’s always a difference when a candidate has the full democratic socialist army and field operation that it brings,” NYC-DSA co-chair Gustavo Gordillo said Wednesday, while praising Boylan for running a “principled race.” Mamdani’s longtime campaign lawyer and appointee Ali Najmi worked for Wilson’s campaign. 

Katz, who as an operative with Fight Agency works with candidates across the country and spends much of his time out of state, attended Boylan’s rally where Mamdani announced his endorsement on April 18. Since joining Mamdani’s nascent mayoral campaign last summer, Katz is one of the mayor’s closest political advisers. He’s widely credited with honing and deploying Mamdani’s unbeatable mayoral campaign messaging strategy. Since Mamdani’s victory, Katz is also working closely with the congressional campaigns of Mamdani allies and endorsees Valdez and Lander.

Mamdani’s decision to wade into the race put him at odds with Menin, who backed Wilson in January, as well as several other city leaders. The seat has historically been occupied by a gay representative, and Mamdani’s choice to endorse a straight candidate raised some eyebrows. 

Asked by City & State Wednesday whether he thought Boylan should run against Wilson in the primary election in June, Mamdani didn’t say yes, and didn’t commit to endorsing her again. “My focus is on the special,” he said. In a statement on the results of the race, the mayor congratulated Wilson on a “hard-fought victory” and commended Boylan for a campaign that “strengthened our democracy.”

So far, Mamdani has only endorsed Valdez and Lander in the upcoming June Democratic primaries, but many other candidates are eager for his support – including DSA-backed candidates challenging incumbents.