Former Zohran Campaign Video Editor Eric Hovagim Moves to China, Promotes Pro-CCP Views

A former volunteer video editor for New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's campaign, Eric Hovagim, has relocated to China and is now openly supporting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to recent reports and his own public statements. Hovagim, who contributed to Mamdani's successful mayoral bid, has since posted content online that aligns with Chinese state narratives, including downplaying the repression of Uyghurs and justifying China's annexation of Tibet. Hovagim confirmed his departure from the U.S. in a September 2025 video titled "Why I Left America for Good," stating, "It’s official, I left the U.S. I caught the last chopper out of the great American century of humiliation." He expressed a desire for a "better life" in a country he felt was "going in the right direction." His social media channels now feature pro-Chinese military edits and content attempting to counter claims of Uyghur oppression, including a video filmed at a Uyghur restaurant in China. Drew Pavlou, a human rights activist, highlighted these actions in a recent tweet, asserting that Hovagim "claims that China liberated Tibetans from slavery by invading and annexing their country." Hovagim has indeed referred to the view that the CCP is committing genocide against Uyghurs and acts of aggression against Tibet and Taiwan as "CIA revisionist propaganda." He further stated, "I believe the Uyghurs and other Chinese minority groups in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region are victims of decades of the CIA wasting taxpayer dollars to fund violence in the Middle East." Hovagim's involvement with the Zohran campaign was as a volunteer, where he "volunteered to help film and/or edit 3 videos about Zohran’s plan to make NYC more affordable," as he told the Daily Caller News Foundation. He clarified that he was "NEVER paid by the campaign, any PAC, or anyone at all around him." The Mamdani campaign has not publicly commented on Hovagim's recent activities or statements.