New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has stated he will continue to work with Morris Katz, a prominent political consultant who advised Graham Platner's unsuccessful bid for the Maine Senate seat. Katz and his partner, Daniel Moraff, are facing criticism from within the Democratic Party for their handling of Platner's campaign, which ended after allegations of rape, controversial Reddit posts, and a Nazi-linked tattoo surfaced.
Mamdani affirmed his continued reliance on Katz, who also played a key role in Mamdani's 2026 electoral victory. Despite calls from some Democrats, including the Democratic Socialists of America, for Katz to be blacklisted from future political operations, Mamdani indicated Katz remains a top advisor.
Sources familiar with the Platner campaign indicated that Katz and Moraff allegedly ignored vetting team requests to delve deeper into Platner's past, despite spending a comparatively small amount on the vetting process. Platner withdrew from the Senate race following a rape accusation, which he denied. In the aftermath, Katz posted on X that his team had advised Platner to suspend his candidacy upon learning of the allegations, a statement that a community note on the platform pointed out contradicted the campaign's initial denial of the claims.
Katz has also drawn criticism for other past actions. Earlier this year, he faced condemnation for a book he authored on puberty. Sections of the book, which aimed to address topics for boys aged 10 to 12, included discussions of male anatomy. A footnote in the book, which Katz later described as a joke, mentioned a desire to use images of his own penis to illustrate developmental changes, a suggestion reportedly rejected by publishers.
Critics, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee and conservative social media accounts, have strongly condemned Katz's past remarks and actions. Despite the controversy, Mamdani's office did not respond to requests for comment regarding the mayor's continued association with Katz.