Split Screen: In 2025 election-night visuals, a lot of hope
Four trailblazing individuals who achieved decisive victories last night, thanks in part to how their visual media aligned with their messaging.
In the spirit of optimism and joy, this week’s SPLIT SCREEN highlights my favorite images from Tuesday’s election results. Sure, sexist, racist, and Islamophobic images still pervade, but today we’re focusing on the visual power of hope. Let’s dig into the visuals of four trailblazing individuals who achieved decisive victories Tuesday, thanks in part to how their visual media aligned with their messaging: Zohran Mamdani, Abigail Spanberger, Mikie Sherrill, and Mary Sheffield.
New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani
As Mamdani’s graphic designer Aneesh Bhoopathy told The Hollywood Reporter, the candidate took design seriously, inspired by working-class and immigrant visuals such as bodega signage, taxi cab yellow, Bollywood posters, and Metro Cards.
Mamdani’s videos were shot on location throughout the city, showcasing his dedication to representing all New Yorkers. He spoke in Urdu in South Asian restaurants and on street corners across Queens to explain ranked-choice voting. He and his team practiced Tai Chi at a community center in Lower Manhattan. He ate from halal carts while discussing inflation with street vendors and customers. He is constantly in motion, rarely behind a podium, walking every borough of New York City while shaking hands or hugging voters. His team uses fun filters on social media and focuses on vertical content, betting on the younger voters who ended up turning out for him.
His raw, seemingly less polished editing style won over the hearts and minds of people who felt sick and tired of hyper-produced, expensive-looking content that ended up falling flat (like this ad from Andrew Cuomo, who lost in the Democratic primary and ran in the general election as an independent, about the subway). But don’t be fooled–Mamdani’s digital and video team are innovative and hard-working.
Most important of all, the guy smiled. A lot. Below, a photo of Mamdani after he voted, captured by his brilliant longtime photographer Kara McCurdy (who also notably took these wedding photos that display his genuine love for New York City). He earned his way to City Hall by reminding voters that elections can feel exciting, fresh, joyful. Sometimes, the visuals of hope are as simple as representing your constituents and yourself with authenticity and vulnerability.
Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger
Spanberger chose to wear a merlot-red suit for her victory speech—a bold visual choice that likely gestures towards Republicans that she’s their governor, too. Either way, she looks like a leader.
One of the winning images of the night is Spanberger on stage with her daughters and husband. Even if you didn’t listen to her speech, this image speaks volumes. I teared up witnessing the historic visual of the first woman governor of Virginia framed by two of her daughters. This image is a delightful reversal of those we’ve seen far too many times before, and it is powerful representation and messaging.
This photo from Spanberger’s Instagram is cinematic, with an artistic choice to shoot from behind and a lovely lens flare from the spotlights shining on the stage. The focus on her red suit draws your eye toward the woman at center stage, flanked by her supportive husband and daughters. A perfect image for the historic moment. (Readers, if you know which photographer created this gorgeous image, please tag them!)
New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill
Over to New Jersey. I love this photo of Mikie Sherrill by Angela Katsanis for the AP. Shot from a low angle, the governor-elect looks tall and powerful. She is shown smiling and looking toward the right of the frame, which, as we’ve explored, feels forward-looking to Western viewers who read from left to right.
She wears an authoritative purple suit, a notorious nod to bipartisanship, framing herself as a governor for all of New Jersey. I’m seeing the “ruthless competence” she often cites as the key to her success. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Vice President Kamala Harris both also famously wore purple suits for their election eves—and I’m thrilled that Sherrill has broken what I coined “the curse of the purple suit.”
In her election celebration post, Sherrill posted on Instagram this striking photo of her surrounded by a huge crowd of supporters. She is beaming with elation as her gaze goes to the right side of the frame again. The colors blend beautifully, mixing into the shade of purple of her suit, which feels like an excellent visual symbol for the evening and her overall campaign message: leadership for all.
Detroit Mayor-Elect Mary Sheffield
As exciting as the NYC mayoral race was, it was not the only history-making city election of the evening. City Council President Mary Sheffield was elected Detroit’s first woman mayor. Photos by David Guralnick for The Detroit News beautifully captured Sheffield’s energy and joy. She’s smiling, dancing, and high-fiving her staff. She’s wearing red, like Spanberger, and her dress is sparkly and elegant. She seems comfortable and unapologetically herself, which might be the best visual lesson of this election roundup: people just want politicians to campaign authentically.
At another point in the evening, she also wore a striking white suit, no doubt a nod to the fight for woman’s suffrage. I love an image from her Instagram in which she is hugging a young supporter. It feels like the visual equivalent to this line from her victory speech: “For every little girl who’s been told she has to wait her turn, for every Detroiter who’s ever felt overlooked, tonight we’re writing a new chapter together.”
Takeaways
As a documentary director and cinematographer, my takeaways from this election? Lean into raw, authentic images, where the candidate’s message speaks for itself. In so many of these images, the picture is worth more than a thousand poll-tested talking points. I’ll find myself coming back to the image of Spanberger flanked by her three daughters and husband and Sheffield with her young supporter as big winners of the night. For all those little girls—for all of us—who felt defeated this time last year, hope is indeed around the corner.
Until next time, keep your eyes sharp and your lenses sharper.
*Send examples of visual sexism to submit@contrariannews.org with the subject line SPLIT SCREEN.*
Azza Cohen (she/her) is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who served as Vice President Kamala Harris’s official videographer in the White House. She recently founded a production company with her wife, Kathleen, and is writing a book about visual sexism from a cinematographer’s perspective. Uncover and address visual sexism alongside Azza every other week here on The Contrarian and on Instagram and Bluesky. The New Yorker distributed her film “FLOAT!” in 2023.
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The visuals in these photos are spectacular! Purple and Merlot make them both look completed and inclusive.
This is beautiful. Thank you.