By ESENDOM
November 24, 2025
On the night Zohran Mamdani made history by winning New York City’s mayoral race, most eyes stayed fixed on the socialist candidate who upended the traditional playbook. But, as so often happens, a crucial part of the story unfolded off-camera. At the heart of the strategy that connected Mamdani to Latino voters—especially the Dominican community—was a woman born and raised in the South Bronx: State Assemblymember Amanda Séptimo.
Her work did not just give the campaign credible Spanish; it built unprecedented bridges between urban progressives and business sectors like the bodegas. To understand her role, one must familiarize themselves with her path.
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From Teen Activist to Political Leadership
The Honorable Amanda Séptimo is, first and foremost, a child of the South Bronx. She grew up in a place defined by deep inequality—and by a long tradition of community resistance. At the age of twelve, while most kids are familiarizing themselves with their interests, she was already taking note of the social, economic, and environmental injustices around her—and decided to organize.
As a teenager she joined The Point Community Development Corporation through its youth program A.C.T.I.O.N. There, she worked on pivotal campaigns: stopping the construction of new a jail at Oak Point, bringing the Floating Pool to Barretto Point Park, and pushing through the extension of six bus routes for long-neglected residents.
At the same time, she worked with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation teaching literacy to local youth and mentoring them at a key moment of their lives. With the YMCA International she traveled to West Africa and helped plant 300+ fruit trees to boost local economies.
Séptimo‘s early commitment earned her the 2005 Youth Leadership Award from Community Board 2 and the New York Yankees.
That activism led to a prestigious Posse scholarship and a full ride to Vanderbilt University in 2008. On campus, she kept organizing, confronting injustices with the same resolve she learned in The Bronx.
During those years,Séptimo interned at Legal Aid Society on domestic-violence cases involving Spanish-speaking immigrant survivors, and with Metro Public Defenders as an investigator—seeing up close a criminal justice system skewed against communities like her own.
With one semester left to graduate, in 2012 she made a decision that revealed her political compass: she returned to The Bronx to work with Congressman José E. Serrano, where she previously interned in high school. She started as a community liaison and, by 23, became district director. Those four years showed her, clearly, how public policy—well or poorly designed—shapes people’s lives.
Séptimo later worked with the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators (CSA), supporting school leaders to ensure schools were true learning spaces, not under-resourced buildings.
In 2018, she ran for the State Assembly (AD-84), challenging veteran Carmen Arroyo. Despite notable support, she lost the Democratic primary 63%–37%—a defeat that deepened her connection to voters rather than ending it.
She ran again in 2020. Before the primary, Arroyo was removed from the ballot over petition fraud, leaving Septimo as the Democratic candidate. Arroyo tried to continue via a different political party, but Séptimo won decisively in the general election and took office in January 2021. Séptimo has represented the New York State Assembly District 84 ever since—a state legislator, not a member of Congress, a key distinction for understanding from where she operates.
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Mamdani’s Latino Vote Strategist
That mix of activism, community work, and legislative experience caught the eye of Zohran Mamdani’s team when the then–Queens state assemblymember decided to run for mayor. In August 2025, The New York Times published “Zohran Mamdani’s Inner Circle” spotlighting for the first time Amanda Séptimo’s leading role in the campaign’s strategy.
Under her guidance, the campaign committed to something many promise but few execute well: speaking to Latino voters in Spanish with respect and real substance. The team released multiple videos in which Mamdani addressed Latino communities directly, in Spanish refined with Séptimo—carefully minding expressions, tone, and cultural references.
Those messages drew millions of views and proved decisive in consolidating Latino support, especially in areas with strong Dominican presence such as the South Bronx and Upper Manhattan. Séptimo acted as a political and cultural translator, ensuring Mamdani’s progressive message landed on the concrete concerns of tenants, workers, and immigrant families.
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Building Bridges between Progressives and Bodegas
Séptimo’s contribution went far beyond communications. She was instrumental in securing the endorsement of the United Bodegas of America (UBA), which represents 14,000+ bodegas statewide.
Historically, these small businesses—many owned by Dominicans and other immigrants—have been wary of left-leaning candidates, concerned about safety, taxes, regulation, and operating costs.
Séptimo understood that if the campaign wanted to be truly citywide and not just a progressive niche, it had to sit down with bodegueros. She built bridges between Mamdani’s movement and a diverse small-business sector, listening to fears and locating common ground. The UBA endorsement, announced just days before the election, was read as a turning point—showing that a socialist candidate could forge alliances with economic sectors traditionally distant or opposed.
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Public Recognition—and What It Means for the Dominican Community Abroad
After the November 4 victory, Mamdani acknowledged that help. In a Spanish-language video, he opened with a warm “¿Cómo está mi gente?” and said:
“Amanda, thank you for believing in me, for believing in my campaign from day one, for having the courage that sometimes even I didn’t have. It’s an honor to stand beside you.”
It’s not common to see a mayor-elect thank a strategic ally so explicitly. The gesture places Amanda Septimo not only as a behind-the-scenes adviser but as a public reference point for the coalition that carried Mamdani to power.
For the Dominican community, her profile sends a clear message: Dominicans of The Bronx are not only New York’s cultural and labor force; they are also political brains, strategy, and decision-making power. The girl who at 12 organized to stop a jail in her neighborhood now designs campaigns that help set the course of the nation’s most influential city.
From her seat in the State Assembly and her decisive role in Mamdani’s campaign, Amanda Séptimo embodies a possible route for Dominican and Latino youth: from local activism to real influence—without losing the neighborhood cadence or the memory of where they come from.
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