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 midterm momentum.
Why it matters: Behind closed doors, Mamdani has made a striking admission that helps explain why he’s so eager to huddle with allies about 2028: He’s uncertain whether New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, his close political partner, will launch a White House run, the sources said.
If Ocasio-Cortez stays out of the 2028 race, it would upend the Democratic primary — and potentially leave the party’s insurgent left without a candidate.
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You can’t be a king maker if you don’t listen to the base. No Hakeem is what the base want and would boost mamdani approval ever more
I’d wager to say that 60% of the base doesn’t even know the name Hakeem
Yeah, and you also can’t be a kingmaker if people view you as incompetent or incapable. If he spent all of his time and political capital (which is what it would cost) to endorse a different speaker, his days of accomplishing wins in NYC are over for the immediate future. That hurts him and the DSA more than a lukewarm endorsement he gave over a year ago, one that he doesn’t even bother to repeat nowadays (he says ‘you know where I stand on that matter’ rather than repeating his endorsement)
Not endorsing Hakeem would have changed nothing at all. He would still be able to do what he promised. Your logic reminds me of the recent post here about how dems should be focused on the economic promises and not impeach key figure of the criminal admin as if both canèt be done at the same time
Not endorsing Jeffries would’ve pissed him off and activated his base. You think you can run NYC without kissing the rings of the politicians who operate from there?
Pure bullshit