LA mayor hopeful Nithya Raman taps Zohran Mamdani political gurus

Los Angeles mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman is tapping the progressive ad shop that helped propel Zohran Mamdani to victory in New York — despite hundreds of fellow Democratic Socialists urging candidates to cut ties with the firm over its work for a scandal-plagued Senate hopeful.Raman’s campaign plans to hire Fight Agency to produce television ads as the city councilwoman battles Mayor Karen Bass for control of City Hall, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.No contract has yet been signed, according to the Times. The Post reached out to Raman’s campaign Wednesday but had not heard back.The move immediately handed Bass fresh ammunition.“Nithya Raman’s decision to hire Fight Agency is a major liability for her candidacy and another example of putting her political ambition first,” Bass campaign spokesman Alex Stack told The Post.Fight Agency openly pitches itself as a shop for political insurgents, declaring on its website that it seeks “American originals” willing to take on the “toughest battles in politics” with “sharp messaging and the next great iconic ad.”The firm says it launched in January 2025 and has since signed candidates including Mamdani and Graham Platner. Fight boasts that strategist Morris Katz served as Mamdani’s “lead media strategist,” helping shape campaign strategy and produce the ads that turned the former state assemblyman into a national progressive figure.But the firm has since faced scrutiny over its work for Platner, whose U.S.Senate campaign in Maine unraveled amid a string of controversies.Platner faced scrutiny over a Nazi-linked tattoo and allegations about his treatment of women before a former girlfriend accused him of sexual assault. Platner denied the sexual assault allegation.The fallout triggered a revolt among some Democratic Socialists.Several hundred DSA members signed a letter urging candidates and elected officials to stop working with Fight and Katz.Raman is a member of DSA-LA, which bac...