Progressive operative Waleed Shahid announced on Monday morning he would assume a newly created role of deputy communications director of economic justice in New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office.

The former spokesperson for Justice Democrats — the group that helped elevate Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), among other members of the Squad — announced on X and Substack that he would join the new administration, after serving on the mayor’s transition team. 

Shahid was a leader in the 2024 Uncommitted movement, which sought to deny support to former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris over the Biden administration’s support for Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, and served as an advisor to former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY).

In a post on X following Mamdani’s triumph in the New York City Democratic primary in June, Shahid asserted the Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidate’s victory was owed to his positioning against Israel.

“One of the biggest mistakes the Democratic Party establishment made was trying to smother their base’s outrage over US support for Israel’s assault on Gaza,” Shahid wrote the day after the primary. “Mamdani gave it a voice. Without that, there’s no campaign.”

It was a triumphant note after a string of losses for Shahid, who spent the days following President Donald Trump’s 2024 victory deflecting criticisms that far-left activists had divided and undermined the Democratic Party. Rather, Shahid pointed the finger at AIPAC, which had supported successful primary challenges to Bowman and former Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO).

“Many other issues dwarf ‘woke groups,’” Shahid argued. “My god, if we’re talking about ‘The Groups’ without mentioning AIPAC — the #1 spender in Democratic primaries, unseating a Black nurse and a principal while undermining youth turnout — then I can’t take you seriously. Let’s be for real.”

In a Substack post later republished in The Nation reflecting on Bowman’s loss to Rep. George Latimer (D-NY), Shahid asserted that the U.S.’ relationship with Israel was a defining issue and an essential litmus test for left-of-center candidates.

“Progressives who have avoided taking a strong stance on shaping the Palestinian rights movement must recognize the deep threat AIPAC poses to all our movements and collective interests,” he wrote. “The stance a politician takes on Palestine often indicates their willingness to challenge entrenched power and stand up for genuine justice and equality. It is imperative that progressives understand the centrality of this issue and rally together to counteract AIPAC’s influence, for the sake of not just Palestinian rights but the integrity and future of all progressive causes.”

Shahid’s role in the mayor’s office is a newly created one, though he signaled his portfolio would emphasize local economic issues. 

“My focus will be on listening to New Yorkers and connecting their lived experience to how this administration is using governing power — across economic policy, consumer and worker protections, and a more serious approach to building and development — to bring down the cost of living and ensure dignity,” he wrote.

In the same post, Shahid said not only would he exit his role at The Bloc — a nonprofit established to provide organizational and communications support to left-wing groups — but the organization as a whole would “wind down.”

According to a New York Times notice of his 2022 wedding, Shahid is married to Emily Mayer, a co-founder of the group IfNotNow, which calls itself “a movement of U.S. Jews organizing our community to end U.S. support for Israel’s apartheid.” Tax returns indicate Mayer left the organization in November 2023. 

Mayer, also a veteran of the Uncommitted campaign and the New York City Council, began working as an aide to then-New York City Comptroller Brad Lander — now challenging Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) — in 2025. She told Jewish Insider on Monday that she will exit her government role at the end of the week, but would not say whether or what position she might assume next.