Twenty-Six Hours

What does it take to win an election? And how much would you be willing to give?

Last winter, I went to a canvass for my local assemblyman, Zohran Mamdani. He was running a longshot bid for mayor. 

By primary day, June 24th, 2025, I'm waking up at 4:45 in the morning. 

Before six, I'm at the campaign's material hub in Brooklyn, taping posters to my car's doors, the hood, the back fender. Everywhere. 

My task? 

Drive up and down the west side of Manhattan in the 103 degree heat, stopping at every poll site along the way.

By mid-afternoon, I'm in the air conditioned bathroom of an Irish pub, trying not to pass out from heat exhaustion. Wondering if I should call 911. 

Meanwhile, in Astoria, a young activist named Magdalena is running an entire operation. Dozens of volunteers are knocking thousands of doors, blanketing every corner around local poll sites. Her day would last twenty-six hours.

This is the story of an election. Told from the inside.

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