Six days before polls closed in the New York City mayoral primary, and hours after former Mayor Michael Bloomberg injected an extra $5 million into former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's mayoral PAC, a group of Muslim Americans began mobilizing nationwide. A few donors told ABC News they knew they couldn't match Cuomo's donors, but believed a small jolt might give Zohran Mamdani a final push in the Democratic primary.
After Mamdani's upset victory over the presumed favorite, Cuomo, some of those who supported Mamdani told ABC News they felt their contributions toward his victory could forecast a rise in a larger network of Muslim Americans fundraising in national politics, which they say might influence who will run, and who might win.
On election night, leaders for Mamdani's super PAC, "New Yorkers for Lower Costs," released a memo titled "What we did to help elect Zohran Mamdani," thanking donors for their role in his upset win, writing, "In particular, the generosity of Arab and Muslim Americans ... has been truly incredible..." PAC chair Regina Monge told ABC News many of their biggest donors were Arab or Muslim.
Some political science experts said Mamdani won support from almost every demographic. Still, longtime Muslim donors stress the Muslim bloc stands out for its first prominent, unified national effort and believe they're seeing the political muscle Muslims could flex across American politics if mobilized.
Democratic bundler Asif Mahmood, who helped raise millions for Hillary Clinton and Vice President Kamala Harris and ran for Congress himself, said Mamdani's candidacy has been transformative, and sees it as influencing others like Michigan's Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed, whose campaign touts $1.8 million raised under three months, 95% from donations under $100.
"[Mamdani] was able to move Muslim support across the board," Mahmood said, stating he believes Mamdani was unique in coalescing donors who were Arab and South Asian, secular and devout, local and nationwide - much of what he says is apparent in the filing report.
Mahmood points to his campaign for Congress, where he says his Muslim donor support overwhelmingly came from his own South Asian community, as a major example. He also points to the Council on American-Islamic Relations' political arm -- the Unity & Justice Fund -- making a total contribution of $100,000, alongside Muslims in tech making major donations and Muslim pop culture figures inspiring engagement.
"He has shown his strength," said Mahmood, who said he will contact Mamdani's campaign for a fundraiser at his California home, adding, "This is not a local race anymore. This is a national race."
Mamdani's win vaulted him into the national conversation overnight, drawing mentions from the Speaker of the House, DNC Chair and President Donald Trump. It also led to the conversation about which Democratic Party faction should lead as it aims to rebuild.
Every donor ABC News spoke to describes the war in Gaza as a major reason donors became more financially involved. The Uncommitted movement, the pro-Palestinian group critical of the Biden administration's Gaza war policy, did not endorse Harris in 2024, stating "Harris's unwillingness to shift on unconditional weapons policy or to even make a clear campaign statement in support of upholding existing U.S. and international human rights law."
"I felt demoralized and ignored. Palestine did not get the attention it deserved," Rehan Azhar, a donor for Mamdani's PAC, told ABC News.
Some donors, like first-time donor and Silicon Valley angel investor Tariq Afaq Ahmed, said they believed that money could be the tool to gain the attention their community needed.
"If there was a better plan... there could have been a bigger push," Ahmed told ABC News. "Maybe this is the infancy of something to come."
Some Democratic strategists say that historically, South Asian and Arab Muslims in America, many of whom immigrated post-1965, have not invested in politics.
"Most immigrant communities in the U.S. follow a familiar trajectory in their giving: it starts with religious institutions and charity," Democratic strategist Waleed Shahid told ABC News. "Investing in politics is rarely the first instinct, but once it happens, it marks a transition from survival to coalition building and political power."
Faiz Shakir, Bernie Sanders' senior advisor and former campaign manager, told ABC News that the Muslim community's power is rising as many gain wealth.
"This community is maturing quickly. There's more people in probably the 30 to 49-year-old range that are millionaires," Shakir said.
One of the lead donors to the "New Yorkers for Lower Costs" super PAC backing Mamdani is the 34-year-old Azhar, and who said early last year he started a small network of like-minded Muslims, most under 50, after selling his business.
He said that moments after he watched Mamdani’s odds on PolyMarket plunge after Bloomberg boosted Cuomo’s war chest to more than $25 million, he knew he wanted to act.
“I started texting everyone,” said Azhar, who said he felt he had just hours to raise money. “I told them: ‘This has the potential to change Democratic politics nationwide. The return on investment is enormous.”Within hours, Azhar says several people pledged a total of over half a million dollars.
Azhar, a first-time donor, brought his donation for Zohran’s “New Yorkers for Lower Costs” super PAC to over $150,000. Others followed with giant checks.
One person he called was Ahmed, who said Azhar convinced him to give $25,000.
In the final hours, D.C.-based Rocket Money co-founders Haroon and Idris contributed over $189,000. Idris said, “This is a once-in-a-generation candidate ....[Mamdani] didn’t back down from principles. It was awe-inspiring.”
Some Democratic strategists said that while Mamdani influenced a new donor class, he also received financial blowback from far wealthier individuals.
Shakir says “Mamdani’s views about Gaza and Israel, combined with his willingness and desire to take on powerful moneyed interests,” have galvanized billionaires, and,“With just a few checks, they can just swamp this election.”But in his primary,Mamdani proved a little could go a long way - largely fueling his campaign with volume. His campaign received 28,000 small-dollar donations totaling $1.7 million to Cuomo’s $4 million from just 6,500 donations.
And even smaller campaign donors had a major impact. Californian Mohammed Davoodi gave $2,100 directly to the campaign, and now hopes to host his first-ever fundraiser for Mamdani,and is considering running for office.
But Davoodi now hopes to host his first-ever fundraiser for Mamdani,and is considering running for office.
"[Mamdani's] my age. His childhood photos look like me. He's an immigrant like I am," Davoodi said. "As much as Islamophobia has come out, it shows Americans don't care - a Muslim can be in office. It's about your principles and policies."