Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Monday he is sticking with Morris Katz, his longtime media strategist, even as members of the Democratic Socialists of America circulate a letter urging campaigns and elected officials to cut ties with the consultant after his role in the collapsed Graham Platner Senate bid. The standoff keeps the mayor - one of the left’s most visible figures nationally - at odds with part of the movement that helped elevate him and revives a familiar question inside progressive politics: who gets to draw the ethical lines for the operatives behind the candidates.
The letter, obtained by NY1, calls on DSA candidates and elected officials to “no longer contract or work with Morris Katz or Fight Agency.” It accuses Katz of helping to “recruit” Platner and “supercharge” his Senate run with polished videos and favorable media appearances. The signatories - a mix of city and state DSA members - argue that giving Katz that kind of influence risks undermining the movement’s feminist and multiracial organizing foundations.
The backlash intensified after the Bangor Daily News reported that Katz, through an intermediary, warned former Platner aide Genevieve McDonald she would be accused of lying and “sabotage” if she cooperated with reporters investigating Platner’s sexually explicit messages. The outlet published a message in which Katz wrote, “Just want to be clear on where we are right now.”
Even so, Mamdani told reporters he has no plans to join any boycott. “I will continue to work with Morris Katz,” he said, adding, “He remains a top advisor of mine,” according to Jewish Insider. That public show of support keeps Katz in the mayor’s inner circle for now and complicates efforts by local activists to sideline the consultant.
DSA Members Say Katz Represents a Pattern, Not a One-Off
Signatories told NY1 their goal is to hold political professionals accountable for repeated choices that elevate candidates with troubling records. The letter points to a series of red flags around Platner - from past posts to allegations of abusive behavior to a disputed tattoo - and argues that Katz’s approach favors viral media hits over slow, movement-centered organizing.
Katz’s Track Record Helps Explain Mamdani’s Loyalty
Katz is widely credited as the creative force behind Mamdani’s 2025 campaign advertising and the launch video that helped turn Platner into a national player, a backstory laid out in Vanity Fair. At the same time, Mamdani publicly called on Platner to withdraw from the race after a sexual-assault allegation emerged, condemning the candidate while continuing to defend his adviser, according to The Daily Beast.
For now, the clash is playing out inside New York’s progressive circles rather than as a formal City Hall policy fight. Mamdani’s choice to keep Katz close will test whether grassroots pressure from DSA members can outweigh the loyalty earned by winning campaign operatives - and whether those loyalties end up shaping who gets to write the left’s national playbook.
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