Lead: On Nov. 5, 2025 in New York, mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced an all-female slate of co-chairs to lead his transition effort, naming former Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan among five leaders. The announcement formalizes a transition team charged with preparing the incoming administration ahead of his Jan. 1, 2026 inauguration and signals policy priorities tied to antitrust enforcement and measures aimed at reducing the city’s cost of living. Mamdani also asked supporters to resume donations to finance staffing, research and infrastructure for the transition. He said the team will draw from organizers, veterans of city government, national policy experts and working New Yorkers.
- Five co-chairs were named: Lina Khan, Maria Torres-Springer, Grace Bonilla, Melanie Hartzog and Elana Leopold; all are women with public- and nonprofit-sector experience.
- The announcement came on Nov. 5, 2025; Mamdani is scheduled to take office on Jan. 1, 2026 and the transition will staff up ahead of that date.
- Mamdani urged supporters to restart donations after previously pausing fundraising, saying the transition requires paid staff, research and infrastructure.
- Lina Khan, who led the FTC under President Joe Biden, is known for an assertive antitrust approach and is a noted ally of Senator Bernie Sanders.
- Mamdani framed the appointments as consistent with his agenda to confront concentrated wealth and reduce the cost of living, language he has described as opposing an “oligarchy.”
- As of the announcement, Mamdani said the White House had not reached out; he expressed openness to speak with President Donald Trump despite prior public criticism from the president.
- The transition team will advise on personnel and policy implementation and is being positioned to include both familiar public figures and less-known organizers and experts.
Background
Zohran Mamdani won New York City’s mayoral election on a platform that emphasized bold interventions on housing, taxes and the cost of living. Throughout his campaign he advocated for higher taxes on top earners and corporate accountability measures intended to expand public services and lower everyday costs for working families. His rhetoric has frequently targeted concentrated economic power, which he has described using terms such as the “oligarchy,” signaling an agenda likely to prioritize regulation and redistribution.
Lina Khan rose to national prominence as an antitrust regulator who took an expansive view of competition policy during her tenure as FTC chair under President Joe Biden. She is widely associated with progressives in Washington and with a drive to use regulatory tools against large tech and corporate platforms. Maria Torres-Springer, Grace Bonilla, Melanie Hartzog and Elana Leopold bring a mix of city executive experience, nonprofit leadership and campaign strategy, giving the transition both municipal governance expertise and grassroots ties.
Main Event
On Nov. 5, Mamdani publicly unveiled the five co-chairs, describing the team as intentionally all-female to reflect both talent and the administration’s values. He highlighted career backgrounds: Torres-Springer as a former first deputy mayor in New York City, Bonilla as head of United Way of New York City, Hartzog as a former deputy mayor for health and human services, Leopold as a political consultant, and Khan as a former federal regulator. The mayor-elect framed this mix as a bridge between municipal experience, national policy expertise and on-the-ground organizing.
Mamdani said the transition will “cast a wide net” to solicit input from frontline organizers, proven municipal leaders, policy experts and working residents. He noted that some transition leaders will have public-facing names and others will be less familiar but nonetheless important for implementation. To finance the effort, Mamdani requested that supporters resume donations after a temporary pause earlier in his post-election period.
Regarding federal relations, Mamdani reported that the White House had not yet contacted him following his victory but emphasized his willingness to speak with President Donald Trump about city priorities, including cost-of-living issues and federal legislation that he says will affect New Yorkers. He framed such outreach as pragmatic, asserting he would engage with any actor if it could benefit city residents. The announcement closes the first public staffing step of a transition that will now begin building operational teams and policy units.
Analysis & Implications
Appointing Lina Khan as a transition co-chair carries both symbolic and substantive weight. Symbolically, Khan’s presence signals a prioritization of antitrust and regulatory scrutiny of large corporations, connecting Mamdani’s local platform to national debates over market power. Substantively, Khan’s federal experience could shape how the transition evaluates procurement, competition in city services and partnerships with private providers—areas where municipal policy intersects with national regulation.
The all-female composition of the co-chair slate is notable for New York mayoral transitions, which historically have been led by mixed or male-dominated teams. This choice underscores Mamdani’s effort to emphasize equity and to draw distinct contrast with prior administrations. It may also affect recruitment: an explicitly diverse leadership roster could attract candidates from community organizing, public health, housing and consumer advocacy circles who align with a progressive policy agenda.
Asking supporters to resume donations raises practical questions about the transition’s capacity and priorities. Funding will determine how quickly the team can stand up research units, policy working groups and staffing for the inaugural agenda. Relying on grassroots funding aligns with Mamdani’s political narrative but could limit resources compared with transitions backed by large donors; the tradeoff is a closer tie to the constituencies that propelled his campaign.
Comparison & Data
| Name | Recent role / background |
|---|---|
| Lina Khan | Former FTC chair; national antitrust policymaker |
| Maria Torres-Springer | Former first deputy mayor of New York City; city executive experience |
| Grace Bonilla | CEO, United Way of New York City; nonprofit sector leader |
| Melanie Hartzog | Former deputy mayor for health and human services; public-health and social services administrator |
| Elana Leopold | Political consultant; campaign strategist and organizer |
The composition combines federal regulatory experience, municipal administration and nonprofit leadership. That blend is suited to a transition tasked with translating campaign promises into implementable policy and operational plans for city agencies. Past New York transitions have varied in profile; this team emphasizes policy expertise and grassroots ties more than large-donor management.
Reactions & Quotes
Campaign comments framed the move as both strategic and principled; Mamdani emphasized outreach and inclusivity as planning priorities. Below are direct statements offered during the announcement and their context.
“We will cast a wide net.”
Zohran Mamdani, mayor-elect (campaign announcement)
This line accompanied Mamdani’s pledge to consult organizers, experienced municipal officials and national experts as the transition identifies personnel and policy priorities. It signals an approach that intentionally mixes insider experience and grassroots perspectives.
“I am asking [supporters] to start once again.”
Zohran Mamdani, mayor-elect (fundraising appeal)
Mamdani used the appeal to explain that paid staff, research capacity and infrastructure are required for a robust transition. The request follows an earlier pause in fundraising and frames the financial needs as tied to building a transition that serves working communities.
Unconfirmed
- Whether the White House will contact Mamdani before Jan. 1, 2026 remains uncertain; as of the Nov. 5 announcement, no outreach had been reported.
- It is not yet confirmed how many formal city positions, if any, the co-chairs will assume after the transition concludes; their initial role is advisory and organizational for the transition.
- The potential impact of any federal threats to withdraw funding—referenced in public remarks by President Trump—is not confirmed and would depend on legal and administrative processes if pursued.
Bottom Line
Zohran Mamdani’s selection of an all-female transition leadership that includes Lina Khan signals a clear policy tilt toward regulatory scrutiny and a focus on cost-of-living measures. The mix of federal regulatory experience, municipal administration and nonprofit leadership is intended to bridge policy ideas with operational know-how as the administration prepares to assume office on Jan. 1, 2026.
The practical success of the transition will hinge on funding, recruitment and relations with federal and state partners. Watch for how the team staffs working groups, the specific policy proposals drafted in the next two months, and any outreach from the White House or federal agencies that could shape implementation in the first 100 days.