![\"Zohran](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/DSC_4244.jpg\" "\\"NYC")
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Democratic mayoral nominee and Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani.<\/p>\n
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell<\/p>\n
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani<\/a> is making a number of changes to his campaign team as he shifts from his far-left underdog status in the primary to a Democratic nominee intent on uniting his big-tent party in the November general election.<\/p>\n Mamdani, who is currently on a two-week jaunt<\/a> to his home country of Uganda, has hired Maya Handa as his new campaign manager, his team announced on Friday. Handa will lead Mamdani\u2019s general election organization after serving in the same role on state Sen. Zellnor Myrie\u2019s (D-Brooklyn) failed Democratic primary campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cThrilled to join @ZohranKMamdani\u2018s team & keep fighting to make New York City affordable for all!\u201d Honda posted on X Friday afternoon<\/a>.<\/p>\n Myrie finished in the second round of ranked-choice voting in the primary with just 1% of the vote<\/a>. While he is also a progressive, Myrie clearly ran to Mamdani\u2019s right during that race, showing that hiring Handa could be part of his strategy to appeal to more moderate voters.<\/p>\n Prior to running Myrie\u2019s campaign, Handa was a senior adviser to progressive former Westchester and Bronx Rep. Jamaal Bowman \u2014 a close Mamdani ally. She was also \u201cnational pipeline director\u201d at Run for Something, an organization that recruits and trains young people to enter electoral politics.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mamdani\u2019s previous campaign manager and current chief-of-staff in the Assembly, Elle Bisgaard-Church, is shifting to a new role as his \u201cchief adviser,\u201d his team said.\n<\/p>\n The campaign is also bringing on Afua Atta-Mensah, who holds and has held leadership roles at progressive organizations including Community Change and Community Voices Heard,\u00a0 as its new senior political director.<\/p>\n Deandra Khan, a senior adviser to 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich, will be Mamdani\u2019s \u201cdirector of labor and intergovernmental affairs,\u201d according to the campaign. In that role, Khan will manage the campaign\u2019s relationships with labor unions and elected officials.<\/p>\n 32BJ SEIU is one of the city\u2019s most powerful labor unions, representing 185,000 building service workers\u00a0across the five boroughs. The union\u00a0pivoted to back Mamdani<\/a> shortly after he trounced its endorsed candidate in the primary: former Gov. Andrew Cuomo,\u00a0who is running in the general election on an independent line<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mamdani is also shaking up his campaign\u2019s communications team.\n<\/p>\n His new press secretary is Dora Pekec, who served in the same role on city Comptroller Brad Lander\u2019s failed primary campaign. Lander is close political allies with Mamdani, and many view their cross-endorsement<\/a> during the primary as key to Mamdani\u2019s victory.<\/p>\n Obama White House veteran Jeffrey Lerner joined as Mamdani\u2019s new communications director earlier this month<\/a>. He replaced Andrew Epstein, who is now overseeing the team that produces Mamdani\u2019s viral social media videos.<\/p>\n The staffing changes appear to be part of Mamdani\u2019s push to appeal to moderate Democrats as he stares down a general election field that includes Cuomo, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams<\/a>, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, and independent attorney Jim Walden.<\/p>\n Mamdani has spent the weeks since the primary trying to win over establishment Democrats and the city\u2019s business community, who have been hesitant to embrace him due to his socialist branding and platform that relies on raising taxes on the wealthy.<\/p>\n Last week, he met with the dozens of business and tech leaders<\/a> in order to assuage their concerns about his candidacy. He also had a confab with Democratic House Minority Leader<\/a> Hakeem Jeffries, who has yet to endorse him, in the representative\u2019s Brooklyn district last Friday.<\/p>\n U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Gov. Kathy Hochul have also held off on endorsing Mamdani.\n<\/p>\n