Mayor Zohran Mamdani is standing by his top political adviser, Morris Katz, who is facing widespread criticism for his role in Democrat Graham Platner’s scandal-ridden campaign for U.S. Senate in Maine.
“ I will continue to work with Morris Katz. He remains a top advisor of mine,” Mamdani said Monday.
Mamdani’s declaration comes after The Intercept reported that members of the Democratic Socialists of America were circulating a letter calling on the mayor to cut ties with Katz and his political consulting firm, The Fight Agency, because of his role on Platner’s campaign leadership team.
Platner, an oyster farmer and combat veteran, suspended his Senate bid on Friday, four days after Politico reported that he allegedly raped a woman he once dated. Platner has denied the woman’s account.
Katz, 27, advised the Platner campaign and crafted videos that helped the candidate cultivate his message aimed at working-class voters. Katz was also a staunch defender of Platner’s amid earlier controversies, mixing it up on cable news and social media.
Those dynamics changed last week as a growing list of Platner’s supporters, including Mamdani, called on him to exit the race. On Thursday, Katz issued a statement on X, joining those who said Platner should end his campaign.
“As soon as the team became aware of the rape allegations against Graham Platner, we advised he suspend his candidacy, and in the following days worked to wind down the campaign,” Katz wrote. “Like so many of his supporters, I’m deeply disappointed.”
Platner’s decision to withdraw comes after his campaign had weathered a series of controversies, including a tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol, a series of since-deleted Reddit posts that were critical of police officers and rural America, and reports he sent sexually explicit messages to other women while married.
Katz declined to make any additional comment, citing his statement last week on X.
The young political consultant played a critical role in helping Mamdani create his singular digital campaign and online strategy focused on energizing younger voters who are disaffected from the mainstream Democratic Party.
He remains one of Mamdani’s closest political advisers. Katz has also advised other democratic socialist and progressive candidates, including Claire Valdez and Brad Lander, who both won their congressional primaries last month.
Prior to Platner’s downfall, his campaign challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins was being eyed across the country as a roadmap for how Democrats could inspire voters in the Trump era.
