Tom Steyer, a candidate in the California governor’s race, is enlisting the expertise of strategists instrumental in securing Zohran Mamdani’s election as New York City mayor, as reported by recent sources.
Steyer, known for his career as a former hedge fund manager and his significant contributions to the Democratic Party, is collaborating with Fight Agency, a political consultancy renowned for its progressive stance.
This agency is comprised of seasoned professionals with experience in high-profile campaigns, such as those for Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. John Fetterman, and Sen. Ruben Gallego.
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Rebecca Katz, a partner at Fight Agency, boasts a notable resume, having overseen the strategic operations for the late Sen. Harry Reid’s team in the US Senate. Her expertise also extended to crafting communication strategies for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
In recent election cycles, Katz has been lauded for her role in Fetterman’s successful 2022 Senate campaign in Pennsylvania and Gallego’s victorious 2024 Senate race in Arizona, marking significant achievements for the Democratic Party in pivotal battlegrounds.
Katz acknowledged she was initially wary of signing on with Steyer, given the firm’s stated focus on elevating working-class candidates.
“When we started Fight, our goal was to get more working-class candidates elected. He is not from the working class. I underestimated him, and I didn’t think he got it,” she told the news site The Bulwark.
Katz said she ultimately reversed course after hearing Steyer’s pitch on California’s economic challenges and his proposed remedies.
“Is he similar to some of our other clients? No, he is not. But does he understand the problem, and does he have real solutions? One hundred f—king percent,” she said.
Katz said that Steyer is “as clear-eyed on the problems and challenges we have in America — and California in particular — [as] anyone out there.”
Steyer’s platform echoes the populist, anti-corporate themes Fight Agency has championed in past insurgent campaigns, including those for Sanders, Fetterman and Mamdani.
He has proposed closing corporate tax loopholes to fund public schools, building 1 million new homes to address the housing crisis, breaking up utility monopolies to lower electricity rates and banning corporate PAC money in state elections.
Other partners in the firm have helped lift Democrat upstarts in high-profile races.
Tommy McDonald, a co-founder of Fight Agency, has worked on more than 200 campaigns across 30 states, including serving as lead paid media consultant on Fetterman’s Senate race.
His résumé also includes media work tied to Sanders’ presidential bid and independent candidate Dan Osborn’s Senate run in Nebraska, as well as multiple House and statewide contests.
Julian Mulvey, another co-founder, was dubbed one of the “architects” of Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign and later produced ads for Biden and the Democratic National Committee in 2020.
Morris Katz, who served as lead media strategist on Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, also advised Osborn’s independent Senate bid and has worked on a range of insurgent and Working Families Party-backed efforts.
Fight Agency has also signed on with Graham Platner, the left-wing Democrat looking to beat Maine Gov. Janet Mills for the party’s nomination. Both Mills and Platner are seeking to unseat incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).
While details of the scope of its work on Platner’s campaign have not been publicly detailed, the firm lists him among the clients it has taken on since launching in January of last year as part of its effort to back candidates it views as willing to wage “tough battles” against the political establishment.
The Post has sought comment from Steyer and Fight Agency.
Steyer faces a crowded Democratic field in the 2026 gubernatorial contest, including several statewide officeholders and veteran party figures such as Katie Porter, Xavier Becerra, Eric Swalwell, Tony Thurmond, Betty Yee, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
His early $27 million self-funded blitz has allowed him to outspend rivals by a wide margin.
