NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Monday he will continue working with political strategist Morris Katz despite pressure from more than 500 Democratic Socialists of America members calling on him to cut ties with the adviser. “I will continue to work with Morris Katz,” Mamdani said in response to a reporter’s question. “He remains a top adviser of mine.”
The DSA pressure stems from Katz’s role advising Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, whose campaign imploded in early July following allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence, which Platner has denied. The letter, obtained by Spectrum News NY1, reads: “We, the undersigned, call on DSA candidates and elected officials to no longer contract or work with Morris Katz or Fight Agency, his political consulting firm.”
DSA members argue that Katz bears responsibility for elevating Platner. “Morris Katz is one of the chief parties responsible for the catastrophic campaign of scandal-ridden Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner,” the letter states. The signatories highlight Platner’s troubling history, including a Nazi tattoo he later covered up and the allegations he has denied. One signatory, Maine DSA leader Marianne Westfall, told NY1 that Katz is “holding the left back” by supporting candidates rooted in “misogyny.” She said Mamdani should cut off his professional relationship with Katz.
The controversy puts Mamdani at odds with a core constituency that propelled him to victory as mayor last year. Katz was the lead media strategist for Mamdani’s 2025 mayoral campaign, which won with an insurgent digital strategy that energized young voters and progressive activists. His success in that race made him a high-profile figure in Democratic politics, leading to invitations to speak at universities and party events about campaign strategy.
Platner dropped out of the Maine Senate race on July 8 after a woman accused him of sexual assault. The campaign, which had won 72 percent of the vote in Maine’s Democratic primary, unraveled within days as additional allegations surfaced. Katz was among those who advised Platner to exit the race, according to Politico reporting from July 9.
The letter also criticizes Katz’s firm, Fight Agency, and his colleague Rebecca Katz (no relation) for what DSA members characterize as a pattern of running flawed candidates. The signatories claim Platner is part of a larger pattern by the Katzs to elevate candidates who have “appropriated the American working class’ burgeoning desire for authentic champions.” Wesley Higgins, the electoral co-chair for NYC’s DSA chapter, was among those who signed the letter.
One source who spoke to NY1 said problems with Katz go back further, noting that members “bristle at his tendency to make himself the story in these campaigns that we see as collective.” The rift highlights tensions within the progressive movement between operatives focused on winning elections and activists concerned about values and accountability.
Sources
- Spectrum News NY1 — DSA letter calling for candidates to stop working with Morris Katz; quotes from Maine DSA leader Marianne Westfall; report dated July 11, 2026
- Washington Examiner — Mayor Mamdani’s statement “I will continue to work with Morris Katz. He remains a top adviser of mine”; report dated July 13, 2026
- The Intercept — DSA members’ letter urging campaigns to ditch Katz; report dated July 10, 2026
- NPR — Graham Platner’s formal withdrawal from Maine Senate race; report dated July 10, 2026
- Politico — Katz and others advising Platner to drop out; report dated July 9, 2026
