In the aftermath of Zohran Mamdani’s November 4 victory in New York City’s mayoral election, social media users have found a potential connection between the mayor-elect’s triumph and pop star Sabrina Carpenter, alleging that she set in motion, the events which culminated in his election.

The 34-year-old former state assemblyman defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa to secure his place as the city’s first African-born Muslim mayor of South Asian descent.

Weeks before the election, New York’s last mayor, Eric Adams, announced that he is dropping out of the race after his indictment on federal corruption charges earlier this year.

Adams was initially charged with bribery, campaign finance and conspiracy offences however, these were dropped by the Trump administration, who claimed that they distracted from Adams’ ability to enact the president’s immigration agenda.

This is where Carpenter comes into the equation as it was the scandalous music video for her hit song ‘Feather’ released in 2023 which uncovered Adams’ offences.

The infamous music video was filmed at the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Brooklyn and features men being killed for behaving inappropriately toward a scantily-clad Carpenter as she dances around in the church.

Taking note of the video, Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan said that he was “appalled” by the “provocative” imagery, and that the parish “did not follow diocesan policy regarding the filming on church property, which includes a review of the scenes and script”.

Brennan’s criticism was directed specifically at Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello who allowed Carpenter to film the music video inside the church and who was later stripped of his duties as priest.

Gigantiello’s involvement in the music video controversy brought attention to his dubious business transactions with mayor Adam’s office. After the subsequent investigation, Adams resigned from the 2025 race for elections.

Due to this fiasco, fans are joking that Carpenter eliminated Mamdani’s competition and therefore deserves credit for his win.