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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