John: Few American politicians have come as far as fast as Zohran Mamdani.

He began 2025 as a little-known state legislator, and in the first minutes of 2026, he'll be sworn in as the mayor of new York, often called the second toughest job in America.

Photographer Kara Mccurdy documented his remarkable rise as mamdani's campaign photographer.

She's been capturing images of mamdani since before his first race for state assembly in 2020.

Ali rogin spoke with her about her experience watching history unfold through her camera lens.

Ali: Thank you so much for being here.

You have been photographing the mayor elect since even before his first campaign for state assembly.

What did you think of him when you first got to know Zohran Mamdani?

Kara: I thought, this guy is so charismatic.

And we really connected initially on our shared politics.

So I really valued that this was somebody who felt such a deep conviction to what he believed in that he was willing to talk to me, a complete stranger at the time when we met, about his politics.

And even bring me into the fold and show me how we could share this with so many more people, all of New York City, and now all of the world, really.

Ali: Knowing now what he has achieved in such a short political lifetime, did you ever think he could reach these heights of his political career so quickly?

Kara: Zone around is somebody who you know what he is going to go after, he is going to get.

He really has a vision, he is going to see it through.

I'm not sure anybody could have predicted even the past 12 months, but I also -- always believed he was going to be somebody that was going to make a big splash in local politics.

Ali: Was there a moment where you realized in his run for mayor that he was really going to transcend this dark horse candidate position in the race?

Kara: I think I started to pick up on it in the mayoral campaign early, just saying the voters and supporters engagement and enthusiasm.

Not just about zohran mamdani himself, but about what he was running on.

I remember I was out with him walking around in March, and people were stopping us from across the street in the dark, yelling his name, because they saw him and they weren't just yelling, zohran mamdani, I'm voting for you.

They would yell, I'm voting for universal childcare.

It was around that time I started to realize this thing is much more widespread than I can really even grasp.

Ali: This sort of photography is know what you were typically doing.

You do a lot of weddings, elopements.

When you started working with zohran, you talked about creating his visual identity.

I want to know, how did you approach this assignment?

Kara: We were able to derive from the first few photos this thread of storytelling, which is something that he and I are both drawn to.

Every single photo we take and every opportunity we have to start a new shoot is an opportunity to tell a story.

Whether those are stories of working new yorkers, or the story of somebody running for state assembly.

That is something that translates very easily back to wedding and elopement photography.

When I'm shooting a wedding, and telling the whole story of an entire day.

When I'm photographing zohran mamdani, I'm telling the whole story of not just him but his whole policies and what it means for new yorkers.

Ali: I have to ask you about these images of Zohran and his wife's wedding at New York City hall.

They went absolutely viral.

I want to know, what does it mean to you to see these pictures get shared so widely and why do you think that was?

Kara: It has been absolutely surreal to see how far these photos have gone.

I feel very fortunate for that.

And I think people really cling to them because they are so relatable.

They are truly just a couple that wants to go and get married and celebrate the core of their relationship, which is simply two people being in love.

It's not a giant production.

It cost $25 to get married at city hall.

So it is quite accessible to many people, and it is something a lot of people can see themselves in.

We took the subway there.

We did not get into a private car.

Once we got there, it was raining, and we had to deal with that, just like any other normal person getting married at city hall might do.

The most human photos you will see of a wedding day.

Ali: I want you to walk us through some of your favorite images and why they stick out to you.

Kara: One of my earliest favorites is from 2021 after the hunger strike and we had won $400 million in that relief.

There is a trap -- a taxi driver lifting him in the air and you can feel the relief and the joy.

It is very, very happy, and I left that.

Some of my favorite images come from one of my favorite evenings on the mayoral campaign, when we walked the length of Manhattan.

That was a, really special night because so many new yorkers got to come out and randomly, see Zohran Mamdani in the streets.

That then, they started joining us and walking with us.

I have this gorgeous shot in front of a supermarket and you can see the walkers are taking up the entire block.

It was just a beautiful representation of how we are not just bringing zohran into city hall, we are bringing all new yorkers in with us.

This is a movement for all of us.

I have a photo from primary election date before many people knew who he was.

Although, he seemed like a celebrity, most of the time to me at that point.

We are on an escalator and he is trying to hand out literature to anybody who will listen to him.

And you can see the face of a man who could not care less about Zohran Mamdani.

He doesn't care who he is, he doesn't say anything.

He keeps going and zohran's opposite.

He is full of glee and joy.

That is such a beautiful dynamic between himself and voters.

I think he is willing to talk to anybody, willing to share his beliefs with anybody.

This is a really beautiful moment from before too many people knew who he was and we don't get those anymore.

Ali: Thank you so much for speaking with us.

Kara: Thank you for having me.