New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani can’t run for president himself, but he appears determined to help pick who does.
The democratic socialist mayor has been meeting privately with labor union leaders, urging them to rally behind a labor-aligned or far-left candidate for the White House in 2028, according to an Axios report citing four people familiar with the talks.
Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and is therefore constitutionally ineligible for the presidency, has reportedly argued that progressives cannot afford to waste the momentum they built during last week’s midterm elections, in which Democrats seized control of both the House and the Senate.
Behind closed doors, Mamdani has also reportedly admitted he is unsure whether his close ally, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., will launch a presidential bid. Many progressives believe the congresswoman is leaning toward a 2028 Senate run, though she has said she is weighing both options.
Asked by WNYC last month whether he wanted her to run for president, Mamdani said he wanted Ocasio-Cortez to do whatever she wants to do and called her an inspiration.
According to the report, Mamdani last month summoned Jimmy Williams Jr., president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, to Gracie Mansion to discuss the 2028 race. The mayor reportedly asked Williams which potential presidential candidates he liked and how his union’s endorsement process would play out.
Mamdani also recently met with Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, and is planning to sit down soon with United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, a frequent critic of moderate Democrats.
One source who has spoken with the mayor said Mamdani wants progressive leaders to coordinate in part so they can unite against any leading centrist presidential contender they find unacceptable. That same source noted Mamdani recruited and helped elect several left-wing congressional candidates in New York this year.
The behind-the-scenes push underscores a looming battle for the future of the Democratic Party. Progressives notched breakthrough victories in Senate races in Michigan and Maine and won competitive House contests in the midterms, but moderate Democrats also flipped key seats, setting the stage for a potential clash between the party’s two wings heading into 2028.
Mamdani’s rise has already reshaped the party’s power dynamics. Ocasio-Cortez was one of the first national figures to endorse his mayoral campaign, while other top New York Democrats initially held back their support.
Now, less than a year into his tenure at City Hall, the far-left mayor appears to be positioning himself as a kingmaker on the national stage.
