{"id":1029,"date":"2026-06-02T07:38:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T07:38:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1029"},"modified":"2026-06-02T07:38:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T07:38:36","slug":"mamdani-guru-under-fire-for-alleged-threat-in-graham-platner-sex-scandal-is-prolific-operative-in-lefty-campaigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1029","title":{"rendered":"Mamdani guru under fire for alleged threat in Graham Platner sex scandal is prolific operative in lefty campaigns"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s campaign guru \u2014 now facing heat for allegedly threatening a whistleblowing ex-staffer to US Senate hopeful Graham Platner \u2014 has his hands in a series of other congressional bids by far-left candidates. <\/p>\n

Read more What\u2019s the next Platner surprise, electing vets to fight polarization and other commentary<\/a><\/p>\n

Wunderkind Morris Katz was ripped for his alleged dirty tactics following a report in the Bangor Daily News Sunday that he tried to browbeat former Platner campaign staffer Genevieve McDonald into denying that the married oyster farmer sexted with multiple women.<\/p>\n

The sex scandal is the latest controversy to hit Democrat Platner\u2019s bid to knock off GOP Sen. Susan Collins and has tarnished the gleaming profile of Katz \u2014 who is involved with several local lefty candidates this election cycle.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s an instrumental part of the populist campaign for Democratic Socialists of America member Claire Valdez, a Queens state assemblywoman vying for an open seat in New York\u2019s 7th House District.<\/p>\n

Valdez has been endorsed by her DSA comrade Mamdani, whom 27-year-old Katz has been widely credited with helping catapult to City Hall.<\/p>\n

Valdez\u2019s campaign declined to comment Monday when asked about Katz\u2019s alleged threat in the Platner race. Mamdani also did not comment.<\/p>\n

Katz is said to be advising Mamdani-backed former City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is challenging incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman from the left in the Democratic primary for the 10th House District.<\/p>\n

He was also hired by the campaign of state Assemblyman Micah Lasher, who is running in a crowded Democratic primary for the open 12th House District.<\/p>\n

Neither campaign returned requests for comment.<\/p>\n

Katz\u2019s firm, Fight Agency, which he runs with other liberal political operatives, has also done campaign work for Nebraska independent candidate Dan Osborn, a mechanic running for US Senate.<\/p>\n

Katz is described on Fight Agency\u2019s website as a political strategist who \u201chates status quo politics and loves long-shots.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs comfortable in Philadelphia union halls as he is in auto shops in Nebraska, Morris is always on the lookout for nontraditional candidates that are willing to take on tough fights,\u201d his bio reads.<\/p>\n

Read more Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson booed after mocking Florida fans\u2019 \u2018USA\u2019 chant<\/a><\/p>\n

The political whiz-kid allegedly pressured McDonald, Platner\u2019s former political director, to help stop the Wall Street Journal from reporting that the candidate had sexted several other women after marrying his wife in 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the story goes in its current iteration, we\u2019ll communicate directly on the record, and by name, that Genevieve violated the personal trust of Amy and Graham and shared explicit falsehoods to sabotage the campaign,\u201d Katz communicated to McDonald through an intermediary, according to the Bangor Daily News.<\/p>\n

When the story came out over the weekend, Katz whined online it was \u201cno one\u2019s f\u2014king business\u201d what happened between Platner and his wife, Amy, before he started his run for office.<\/p>\n

Katz also fumed about \u201cincompetent, opportunistic operatives\u201d who \u201cprioritize vengeance over decency.\u201d<\/p>\n

One political operative said the alleged threat was \u201cill-advised.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re trying to kill a story, all bets are off. But when the story is happening, don\u2019t make it worse,\u201d the source said. \u201cKatz just made it worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

The campaign hotshot comes from a household of privilege: he grew up in Tribeca with a father who is a successful playwright and producer and a mother who is a children\u2019s book author.<\/p>\n

His godfather was the late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, the New York Times reported in a glossy profile earlier this year \u2014 one of several Katz has been the subject of since Mamdani\u2019s stunning election victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cMorris was born on third base, reached home plate on error and now, he thinks he\u2019s Babe Ruth who can coach all of the baseball teams into winning the World Series?\u201d one Dem operative snarked.<\/p>\n

Rebecca Katz, a business partner of Morris Katz\u2019s at Fight Agency responded: \u201cMorris handled this situation like a political professional. It was all above board. He continues to be one of the best in the biz. The hysteria around him is manufactured by operatives whose best days are behind them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more NYC subway surfers keep dying \u2014 why aren\u2019t copycats deterred? Parents, teens, psychologists weigh in<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Morris Katz is now under fire for threatening a whistleblowing ex-staffer to controversial US Senate hopeful Graham Platner works for a series of other lefty congressional candidates<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1028,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"\nMamdani guru under fire for alleged threat in Graham Platner sex scandal is prolific operative in lefty campaigns - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1029\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mamdani guru under fire for alleged threat in Graham Platner sex scandal is prolific operative in lefty campaigns - 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