The lefty political home of Mayor Zohran Mamdani is urging its elected official members and candidates to “no longer contract or work with” Hizzoner’s key adviser Morris Katz — after his disastrous stint on Graham Platner’s campaign.
The bombshell letter blasted out by members of the Democratic Socialists of America and obtained by The Post had over 500 signatures as of Friday afternoon.
The letter implores DSA candidates and elected officials to refuse working with Katz or his consultant firm, Fight Agency, citing his work on the “catastrophic campaign” of Platner – the Maine US Senate hopeful who dropped his bid after being accused of rape.
“Katz helped recruit Platner and supercharged his candidacy with slick video production, friendly media placements, and political connections,” the letter warns members of the 27-year-old socialist fixer.
“Yet even as the scandals mounted, Katz continued to put the full weight of his consultancy behind Platner’s candidacy, foreclosing the possibility of replacing Platner with another candidate before the primary election.”
The wunderkind Katz shot to political stardom for his role last year elevating the little-known state Assemblyman Mamdani from dark-horse mayoral contender to a stunning victory.
Katz, a Tribeca-born-and-raised nepo baby whose godfather was the late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, was one of Mamdani’s first campaign hires. He helped shaped many of Mamdani’s signature slick social media videos, seizing upon affordability as a galvanizing issue for voters.
His success with Mamdani put him in high demand with what the Fight Agency calls “nontraditional candidates that are willing to take on tough fights.”
The Mamdani-endorsed lefty congressional candidates Claire Valdez and former City Comptroller Brad Lander tapped Katz for help in their successful Democratic primary campaigns in June.
Likewise, Micah Lasher’s campaign hired Katz for the state assemblyman’s winning primary run for retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler’s congressional seat in Manhattan.
Outside New York City, Katz’s firm has done campaign work for Nebraska independent candidate Dan Osborn, a mechanic running for US Senate.
But after Mamdani, few candidates were as arguably high-profile as Platner.
Katz signed on to Platner’s campaign after his fellow lefty political operatives Dan Moraff and Leanne Fan effectively recruited him to fit the working class hero vibe treasured – but not often embodied – by DSA-aligned voters.
As Platner’s star rose, Katz even began talking him up as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, the New York Times reported.
But the campaign started to hit major problems as more disturbing revelations arose about the largely unvetted Platner.
The US Marine veteran sported a Nazi-linked tattoo, left a long trail of disturbing Reddit posts and faced accusations of mistreating women.
Katz himself stoked controversy when he allegedly threatened a whistleblowing ex-staffer to Platner.
The DSA letter shows that Katz may have flown too close to the sun for his comrades.
A source familiar with the matter noted the open letter was being circulated in both the New York City and national chapters of the lefty organization, which currently has over 120,000 members nationwide.
The letter goes on to slam Katz’s and his agency’s previous work — including being instrumental in electing Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman.
“Men like Platner must not represent the American Left, and those like Katz who push such candidates should have no role in our movement,” it says.
After the rape accusation arose against Platner this week, Katz claimed he encouraged the troubled candidate to drop his bid.
“Like so many of his supporters, I’m deeply disappointed,” he posted Thursday on X.
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