While New York sleeps, the city’s newest Mayor is hitting the streets to see who is actually keeping the lights on. Mayor Zohran Mamdani just wrapped a high-energy "sundown to sunup" tour of NYC’s essential night crews, marking his first 100 days in office on April 10, 2026.
The 34-year-old mayor spent the graveyard shift on Wednesday, April 8, with the "unseen" workforce in Queens, embedding with FDNY EMS teams, DOT roadway crews, and the DEP’s leak detection squad. Mamdani is leaning into his "working class city" agenda, highlighting the laborers who repave crumbling roads and stop water mains from bursting before the morning rush.
"New York doesn't just run on 9-to-5 energy," Mamdani said while visiting with crews in Soundview and Queens. "We sought to show an administration that is as ambitious and relentless as the people who work through the night to keep this machine moving."
The "Night Shift Tour" comes at a pivotal moment. Despite a massive multi-billion-dollar budget gap looming, Mamdani is doubling down on his big-ticket campaign promises.
In his first 100 days, he has already launched "2-K"a free childcare program for two-year-olds, and expanded 3-K seats across 56 ZIP codes. To keep the momentum, he even recruited Cardi B to judge a jingle contest for the new childcare initiative.
However, it’s not all star power and selfies. While his favorability remains high at 55%, Mamdani faces intense pressure over a preliminary budget proposal that critics say could lead to major service cuts.
By spending the night with frontline workers, Mamdani is using his "celebrity status" to bridge the gap between City Hall and the working class, proving he’s just as comfortable in a hard hat at 3:00 a.m. as he is at a press conference.