How Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Grassroots’ Campaign Engineered the Perfect Political Heist

The perfect political heist happened in broad daylight, filmed by hundreds of cameras, celebrated by thousands of supporters, and cheered by a media that never saw it coming—or chose not to look.

What we uncovered wasn’t just campaign finance irregularities—it was the blueprint for manufacturing a grassroots revolution while an entire media ecosystem looked the other way. By the time Zohran Mamdani declared victory on June 25th, proclaiming his “grassroots movement” had triumphed over corporate politics, he had orchestrated one of the most sophisticated political deceptions in New York history: a $10.2 million ecosystem masquerading as authentic populism.

The media dutifully amplified every “people-powered” talking point while the receipts sat in plain sight across campaign finance databases. New York’s press corps became unwitting accomplices in selling voters a revolution that was actually a boardroom production.

The evidence was always there. The media just never bothered to connect the dots.

The $10 Million Secret: Anatomy of a Political Machine

Campaign finance records through June 27th reveal the stunning scope of resources that powered Mamdani’s “grassroots revolution.” When we map the complete financial ecosystem—not just the campaign’s official filings—the true scale becomes undeniable:

That’s over $10.2 million deployed to elect one candidate who spent the entire campaign claiming to represent authentic grassroots politics. But this number only tells us the scale—the real story lies in how this money moved, who controlled it, and what it reveals about the careful engineering behind Mamdani’s “spontaneous” uprising.

Building Block #1: The Taxpayer-Funded Foundation ($7 Million)

The largest component of Mamdani’s $10.2 million ecosystem wasn’t raised—it was triggered. Through New York City’s public matching funds program, the campaign turned every private dollar into $4 of taxpayer money, ultimately extracting $7,050,417 from public coffers.

Red Flag: Campaign received over $7 million in taxpayer-funded matching dollars – a 4:1 ratio of public to private funding.

This represents 69% of the total $10.2 million ecosystem—meaning the supposed “grassroots revolution” was primarily funded by the very government it claimed to be challenging. The 4:1 matching ratio created a powerful incentive: raise $1.7 million in private money, unlock $7 million in public funds.

But here’s where the grassroots narrative begins to crumble: that $1.7 million in “private” contributions didn’t come from organic community support. It came from a sophisticated bundling operation that would make Wall Street fundraisers envious.

Building Block #2: The Bundling Concentration ($1.7 Million)

Every single dollar of Mamdani’s private contributions—100% of the money that triggered $7 million in public matching funds—flowed through professional bundlers. But even within this bundled universe, the concentration is breathtaking.

94% Through One Professional Fundraiser

Jerrod MacFarlane—listed as a “Development Associate” at The Action Lab—personally bundled $1,603,331.85 of Mamdani’s $1,704,104.66 in total net contributions. That’s 94.1% of all campaign contributions flowing through a single individual.

Every single dollar of Mamdani’s direct campaign contributions came through bundlers—not organic grassroots donations. These bundled private contributions then triggered the massive $7+ million in public matching funds at a 4:1 ratio. The bundling operation was essentially the key that unlocked taxpayer dollars, with professional bundlers serving as gatekeepers to the entire public financing system.

The Action Lab: A Taxpayer-Funded Bundling Hub

MacFarlane’s professional resume as a “Development Associate” at The Action Lab and a leader in “Donor Organizing” for progressive networks reveals he is no casual volunteer; he is a seasoned fundraising professional. The Action Lab (officially “Center for Law and Human Values Inc.“) describes itself as a “strategy center for social movements” and is a well-resourced entity, receiving grants from philanthropic foundations like the Ford Foundation.

Crucially, The Action Lab also receives direct government funding: a $6.2 million grant from New York State in 2023 to acquire a building for its Brooklyn center, $30,000 in “Government grants (contributions)” in 2023, over $400,000 in additional NYS grants from 2024-2025 (including a $200,000 contract from the Division of Criminal Justice Services), and $15,000 in pending NYC Council discretionary grants for 2024.

While there is no evidence that The Action Lab itself is directly bundling money for Mamdani’s campaign, the sheer volume of funds consolidated through MacFarlane’s individual efforts points to a highly organized, professional endeavor, likely benefiting from the extensive resources, staff time, organizational infrastructure, and strategic guidance available through his professional context and its allied networks.

When “Grassroots” Becomes Mathematically Impossible

This systematic bundling transforms scattered individual donations into a massive, organized financial force, enabling the campaign to tap into millions of taxpayer-funded matching dollars while projecting a “people-powered” image.

MacFarlane’s bundling operation unlocked over 94% of match eligible funds. When a single individual can trigger taxpayer subsidies at this scale, the “grassroots” claim becomes not just misleading—it becomes mathematically impossible.

Running total: $8.75 million of the $10.2 million ecosystem built on taxpayer funds and professional bundling.

Building Block #3: The PAC Ecosystem ($1.45 Million)

But the bundling and public funding were just the foundation. What came next reveals the true sophistication of this operation: a coordinated network of supposedly “independent” PACs that spent nearly $1.5 million supporting Mamdani and destroying his primary opponent.

Critical Finding: Allied PAC activity ($1,863,706) exceeded the campaign’s direct contributions ($1,704,105) by 9.4%. PACs provided MORE money than all individual donors combined, completely undermining any claim to grassroots authenticity.

When outside political money surpasses your direct fundraising, you’re not running a grassroots campaign—you’re the beneficiary of a sophisticated independent expenditure operation.

The Smoking Gun: $45,697.14 in Real-Time Coordination

On June 11, 2025, campaign finance records reveal two transactions that expose the coordinated nature of this supposedly separate network—and illuminate a sophisticated pipeline that transforms taxpayer funds into political power. These transactions involve Make the Road Action, the 501(c)(4) political arm of the taxpayer-funded 501 (c) (3) Make the Road New York nonprofit.

For this sequence of contribution and exact-amount reimbursement to be legitimate, WFP would need to process the contribution, determine they needed phone services, negotiate a contract, and execute payment—all within hours, for exactly the same amount calculated to the penny. The odds of coincidence? Astronomical.

This “round-tripping” is a classic indicator of coordination between organizations that are legally required to operate independently. It’s not just suspicious—it’s evidence of potential campaign finance violations hiding in plain sight.

This specific sequence is part of a larger, systemic pipeline:

• New York City taxpayers contribute to Make the Road New York (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit), which has received over $27 million in taxpayer funds since 2010.
• Make the Road New York then transferred $165,000 to Make the Road Action (a 501(c)(4) political organization) in 2023.
• Make the Road Action subsequently funneled $45,697.14 to WFP National PAC, which then channeled the exact sum back for “Phone Bank” services on the same day.
• Finally, WFP National PAC actively supports Mamdani’s mayoral campaign.

As documented in our previous investigation, Make the Road New York, through shared leadership between its nonprofit and political arms, has created a sophisticated pipeline that systematically transforms public money into political power. The full analysis reveals the systematic nature of this taxpayer-subsidized political operation.

Building Block #4: The Corporate Infrastructure ($6.3 Million)

With over $10 million in ecosystem funding secured, Mamdani’s team built what can only be described as a Fortune 500-level political operation:

This isn’t a volunteer movement supplemented by modest professional help. This is a fully financed political operation that spent $120,000 on polling alone—more than many entire grassroots campaigns raise. The campaign allocated $51,381 just for promotional merchandise and $22,427 for insurance costs. Even office rent consumed $128,067, while “swag” and promotional materials cost more than most candidates spend on actual voter contact.

The contradiction becomes stark when placed against Mamdani’s own messaging. On May 21, he posted: “Neighborhood by neighborhood, we have built a grassroots campaign the likes of which this city has never before seen.” On June 1, he described “the grassroots, volunteer movement powering this campaign.”

By the time of these posts, his campaign had already contracted with global entertainment companies, spent millions on professional media production, and built what amounts to a corporate-level political operation. When your “grassroots revolution” requires the same event production company that manages Beyoncé’s tours (AEG Presents, LLC produces tours for Beyoncé and coordinates Coachella), you’re not organizing a movement—you’re mounting a corporate entertainment spectacle with a political purpose.

At $204 per claimed volunteer across the 50,000 volunteers Mamdani’s campaign touted, this ranks among the most expensive “grassroots” operations in American political history.

The Perfect Political Heist: Engineering the Mayoral Primary

By election day, the outcome had been engineered through the most sophisticated political operation in New York City history. The Working Families Party didn’t just endorse Mamdani—they engineered a complete ranked-choice strategy designed to guarantee a WFP-backed candidate would win the Democratic primary regardless of voter preference.

The Working Families Party’s ranked endorsement strategy reveals the calculated nature of Mamdani’s “grassroots” support. Rather than a single endorsement, WFP engineered a complete ranked-choice slate: Mamdani #1, current NYC Comptroller Brad Lander #2, current Council Speaker Adrienne Adams #3, and State Senator Zellnor Myrie #4. This systematic approach to ranked-choice voting demonstrates sophisticated electoral engineering designed to control the outcome through strategic vote transfers.

Smoking Gun: PAC Spending Mirrors WFP Strategy Exactly

The most damning evidence of coordination comes from comparing WFP endorsements with supposedly “independent” PAC spending. The financial data reveals that both major PACs supporting Mamdani spent money on the exact same candidates as the WFP endorsement slate—a mathematical impossibility if these organizations were truly operating independently.

Perfect 1:1 Correlation: Every single WFP-endorsed candidate received PAC support. The only candidate not endorsed (Cuomo) was attacked with nearly $1 million in opposition spending. This 100% correlation between endorsements and PAC spending strongly suggests coordination and warrants investigation.

The coordination is mathematically undeniable: both PACs spent money supporting every single candidate on the WFP endorsement slate while spending nearly $1 million combined opposing Andrew Cuomo—the only major candidate absent from WFP’s ranked choices. This isn’t coincidence; it’s evidence of systematic coordination between supposedly independent organizations.

PACs are legally required to operate independently of party endorsement processes. When PAC spending maps perfectly onto party endorsement strategies, it suggests illegal coordination that undermines the entire legal framework designed to prevent exactly this kind of systematic electoral manipulation. The $10.2 million ecosystem wasn’t just deployed to elect Mamdani—it was engineered to control the Democratic primary through coordinated ranked-choice gaming.

The Revolution Was Branded, Not Built

Zohran Mamdani didn’t lead a grassroots revolution—he starred in a $10.2 million corporate production that fooled an entire city.

The evidence is undeniable: 94% of contributions bundled by one professional fundraiser employed by a taxpayer-funded organization. PAC spending that maps perfectly onto party endorsement strategies. A media establishment that amplified every “people-powered” talking point while ignoring the receipts sitting in plain sight.

When your “grassroots revolution” requires Beyoncé’s tour production company, costs $204 per volunteer, and depends on apparent coordination between supposedly independent organizations, you’re not organizing a movement—you’re manufacturing one.

Bottom Line: Over $10.2 million in combined financial support, with 69% coming from taxpayer-funded matching dollars and allied PACs spending $1.9 million supporting Mamdani or opposing his primary opponent.

New Yorkers deserve better than political theater disguised as democratic engagement. The evidence documented here demands immediate investigation by the Campaign Finance Board, the IRS, and the Department of Justice. It’s time to hold candidates accountable for the true source and nature of their power.

This investigation is based on campaign finance data through June 27, 2025, and official filings with the NYC Campaign Finance Board and the IRS.

📧 For daily updates, follow @SamAntar on X (formerly Twitter)

Written by,

Sam Antar

© 2025 Sam Antar. All rights reserved.