Mayor Mamdani look-alike contest draws hundreds in New York
Amadeo Fusca won the $100 prize at the event held near Washington Square Park.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Amadeo Fusca, center, winner of the Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest, takes selfies with the crowd, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Photograph: Associated Press News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Hundreds of people gathered near New York City's Washington Square Park to judge a Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest.
- Amadeo Fusca won the contest and received a $100 prize.
- Police asked attendees to leave the park because they had not obtained a permit, prompting them to move outside the park.
- The event was sponsored by the social media app Sonder and featured nine participants.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 15 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
60/100
Hype
15/100
15 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
Only 1 of the 15 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Hundreds of people gathered near New York City's Washington Square Park on Sunday to judge a look-alike contest for Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Amadeo Fusca was named the winner, receiving a $100 prize. Nine participants competed in the event, which was sponsored by the social media app Sonder.
Attendees initially gathered within the park, but police instructed them to leave due to a lack of permit. The group then relocated just outside the park's boundaries to hold the contest. Mamdani, a democratic socialist who took office in January, has a significant following on social media and among younger residents. His mayoral agenda focuses on assisting the city's working class.
The participants were asked to name their favorite pizza, with the winner determined by audience applause. Many contestants wore facial hair and attire similar to Mamdani's, including a brown suit he wore during his 2025 mayoral campaign. One participant referenced a 2019 rap music video made by Mamdani by wearing a shirt-less ensemble with an apron. A similar contest took place in Brooklyn in 2025, during Mamdani's mayoral campaign.
Coverage comparison
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated reports mention the specific detail that Amadeo Fusca wore a jersey for the NBA champion New York Knicks underneath his suit. The right-rated report also does not include the detail that one participant referenced a rap music video made by Mamdani in 2019 by appearing shirtless with an apron.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 30 Aug 2026, 23:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
7 rated outlets
- Left-rated reports led with the gathering of hundreds of people near Washington Square Park for the look-alike contest. These reports noted that Amadeo Fusca won the $100 prize and that the event was sponsored by the social media app Sonder. Several mentioned Mamdani's political stance as a democratic socialist and his focus on the working class. The reports also detailed the police asking attendees to leave the park due to permit issues and the subsequent move outside the park. Details about the participants' attire, including Mamdani's campaign suit and a reference to a rap video, were included. The existence of a similar contest in 2025 was also noted.
Centre
7 rated outlets
- Centre-rated reports focused on the hundreds of people who attended the Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest near Washington Square Park. They identified Amadeo Fusca as the winner of the $100 prize and mentioned the event was sponsored by the social media app Sonder. These reports also included information about police asking attendees to leave the park because they lacked a permit, leading the group to move outside. Details about Mamdani's political background, his social media following, and his mayoral agenda were present. The number of participants and some of their stylistic choices were also mentioned.
Right
1 rated outlet
- The single right-rated report led with hundreds of people gathering near New York City's Washington Square Park for a Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest. It stated that nine contestants competed for a $100 cash prize, with the event sponsored by the social media app Sonder. The report also mentioned Mamdani is a democratic socialist.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Mayor Mamdani look-alike contest draws hundreds in New York?
- Of the 15 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 47% are rated left, 46% are rated centre, 7% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Mayor Mamdani look-alike contest draws hundreds in New York left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 15 rated outlets on this story, 47% are rated left, 46% are rated centre, 7% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Mayor Mamdani look-alike contest draws hundreds in New York biased?
- Mayor Mamdani look-alike contest draws hundreds in New York is one event reported by 15 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Mayor Mamdani look-alike contest draws hundreds in New York?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Mayor Mamdani look-alike contest draws hundreds in New York?
- 15 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What was the event held near Washington Square Park?
- Hundreds of people gathered near New York City's Washington Square Park to judge a look-alike contest for Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Amadeo Fusca won the contest and received a $100 prize. The event was sponsored by the social media app Sonder.
- Why did attendees have to move outside the park?
- Police asked attendees to leave Washington Square Park because they had not obtained a permit for the gathering. Consequently, the participants and crowd moved just outside the park's boundaries to hold the contest.
- Who won the Mayor Mamdani look-alike contest?
- Amadeo Fusca won the Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest. He received a $100 prize for his resemblance to the mayor, including his haircut, facial hair, and attire.
Read it at the source
15 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
7- Hundreds show up to judge New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest (opens The Seattle Times in a new tab)
The Seattle Times — is The Seattle Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hundreds show up to judge New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hundreds show up to judge New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest (opens Associated Press News in a new tab)
Associated Press News — is Associated Press News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hundreds show up to judge New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hundreds show up to judge New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest (opens Bangor Daily News in a new tab)
Bangor Daily News — is Bangor Daily News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hundreds show up to judge New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest (opens The Hamilton Spectator in a new tab)
The Hamilton Spectator — is The Hamilton Spectator biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hundreds show up to judge New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest (opens Durango Herald in a new tab)
Durango Herald — is Durango Herald biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
7- Hundreds show up to judge New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alik (opens WBAL in a new tab)
- Hundreds show up to judge New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest (opens The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel in a new tab)
- Hundreds show up to judge New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest (opens Rutland Herald in a new tab)
Rutland Herald — is Rutland Herald biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hundreds show up to judge New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest (opens Ottumwa Courier in a new tab)
Ottumwa Courier — is Ottumwa Courier biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hundreds show up to judge New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest (opens WKMG in a new tab)
- Large crowd, contestants gather for NYC Mayor Mamdani lookalike contest in Washington Square Park (opens ABC 7 NY in a new tab)
- Hundreds show up to judge New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest (opens Winnipeg Free Press in a new tab)
Winnipeg Free Press — is Winnipeg Free Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
1Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
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