Scoop: Mamdani's bid for 2028 kingmaker
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani can't be president, so he's trying to be the next best thing: a progressive kingmaker for 2028. Mamdani has been meeting privately with union leaders, urgently talking up the need for a labor-aligned or leftist candidate to run for the White House, four people familiar with the talks told Axios. He's arguing that progressives can't afford to squander their…
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is aiming to become the next best thing to the presidency for 2028: a progressive kingmaker. He has been meeting privately with union leaders, urging them to back a labor-aligned or leftist candidate to run for the White House. Mamdani has admitted that he is unsure if Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, his close political partner, will run for president in 2028, which would leave the Democratic primary without a left-wing candidate.
He wants the progressive ecosystem to mobilize quickly and strategically if a moderate candidate becomes too dominant. Mamdani has met with union leaders such as Jimmy Williams Jr., Sara Nelson, and Shawn Fain, asking about their preferences and endorsement processes. He is hoping to unite against any leading centrist presidential contender, similar to how Barack Obama helped Joe Biden in 2020.
Some left-wing activists have encouraged Fain, who helped elect El-Sayed, to consider a presidential bid, but he has no plans to do so.
Written by urgent.news from Axios's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
