Mamdani ‘in Urgent Talks’ to Find Leftwing Candidate for US President

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has met with union leaders to “urgently” discuss the need for a leftist, pro-worker candidate for the 2028 US presidential election, according to a report by Axios. 

During the meetings at Gracie Mansion, his mayoral residence, Mamdani said progressives must not miss the chance to build momentum created by a wave of victories in last week’s midterm elections.   

“Mamdani has been meeting privately with union leaders, urgently talking up the need for a labour-aligned or leftist candidate to run for the White House,” the Axios report said, citing four unnamed sources familiar with the talks.

Although he is one of the most popular politicians in the country, Mamdani is not eligible to be president because he was born in Uganda.

Among those who spoke with the mayor about 2028 were Jimmy Williams, president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) and Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. 

A person with knowledge of the meetings told Axios that Mamdani wants “the progressive ecosystem to mobilise quickly, strategically and efficiently if a moderate candidate is clearly on the rise.” 

Axios reported that Mamdani privately expressed uncertainty over whether Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will run for president in 2028, and that this is why he is keen to discuss alternatives.

The mayor asked Williams for his opinion on potential presidential candidates and how his union’s endorsement process worked before asking whether he’d consider running for office, sources told Axios.

Williams told the outlet he’s “absolutely supportive” of people from the labour movement running for office but was not interested in running himself. The IUPAT helped elect a number of progressives to Congress.

Mamdani is also set to meet with Shawn Fain, president of the United Automobile Workers, the report said. Fain, whose union helped elect Abdul El-Sayed and who has previously railed against billionaires, told the Detroit News last month that he has no plans to run.