Lina Khan To Co-Lead Mamdani’s Transition, Signaling Progressive Push At City Hall

India-West News Desk

NEW YORK, NY — In a move that underscores his progressive vision for City Hall, New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has tapped former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan to co-lead his all-women transition team.

Mamdani announced the appointment on November 5, naming Khan alongside three longtime New York City Hall veterans. The team, he said, will guide the formation of an administration focused on affordability, accountability, and innovation in governance.

“Our transition leaders will help build a City Hall committed to excellence, integrity and a hunger to solve old problems with new solutions,” Mamdani said in a statement. “Together, we will show the nation how government can deliver when we put the people, not billionaires, first.”

Khan, one of the most recognizable figures in the Biden administration’s antitrust push, said she was eager to bring her reformist energy to New York.
“New Yorkers sent a clear message this week that it’s time to build a city that working people can actually afford,” Khan said. “I’m excited to help Zohran build a team that will usher in a new era for New York City and set a new model for Democratic governance.”

As FTC chair, Khan became both a trailblazer and a lightning rod. She aggressively pursued corporate consolidation cases and targeted so-called “junk fees” and arbitration clauses — measures applauded by progressives but criticized by industry leaders and some moderates as government overreach.

Khan has previously served as a professor at Columbia Law School and legal adviser to the Rohit Chopra led FTC.