The Democratic Socialists of America, the left-wing political organization that helped propel Mayor Zohran Mamdani, is calling on its elected members and candidates to stop hiring or collaborating with Morris Katz, a key adviser to the mayor, following Katz’s troubled role in Graham Platner’s campaign.
An open letter circulated by the DSA and obtained by The Post had drawn more than 500 signatures by Friday afternoon.
The letter urges DSA-backed candidates and officeholders to pledge that they will “no longer contract or work with” Katz or his consulting firm, Fight Agency, pointing to his involvement in what it described as Platner’s “catastrophic campaign.” Platner, a former Democratic US Senate candidate in Maine, ended his campaign after being accused of rape.
“Katz helped recruit Platner and supercharged his candidacy with slick video production, friendly media placements, and political connections,” the letter states, referring to the 27-year-old socialist political strategist.
“Yet even as the scandals mounted, Katz continued to put the full weight of his consultancy behind Platner’s candidacy, foreclosing the possibility of replacing Platner with another candidate before the primary election,” the letter continues.
A source familiar with the effort said the open letter was being shared within both the DSA’s New York City chapter and its national network. The organization currently counts more than 120,000 members across the country.
The letter also criticizes Katz and Fight Agency’s broader political track record, including their role in helping elect Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman.
“Men like Platner must not represent the American Left, and those like Katz who push such candidates should have no role in our movement,” the letter says.
