New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has set out to widen his influence over the Democratic Party’s progressive wing ahead of the 2028 US presidential election. Although he is not constitutionally eligible to run for president himself, he wants a decisive say in who runs, which faction gains strength and whom progressives unite behind.
To that end, Mamdani has been holding a series of meetings with senior union leaders, discussing possible candidates and trying to build coordination among left-leaning political forces. Political analysts see the effort as preparation to become an influential kingmaker in the 2028 race.
Mamdani has acknowledged to people close to him that he is not sure whether his political ally, New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), will run for president in 2028. That uncertainty is why he is preparing alternative candidates and political alliances.
A united progressive front on the nominee
A central part of Mamdani’s plan is to bring progressive leaders together quickly if a moderate candidate pulls ahead in the race for the Democratic nomination. He fears that without early coordination, the party’s left wing could be weakened in the nomination fight.
He is drawing on the 2020 presidential election, when Barack Obama is widely believed to have helped consolidate Democratic support behind Joe Biden.
That strengthened Biden’s position against Bernie Sanders. Mamdani wants to build the same kind of coordination among progressives. A source close to him told Axios that his aim is for the progressive camp to organise quickly and strategically if a moderate candidate clearly moves ahead in the nomination race.
Unions as a political force
US labour unions sit at the centre of Mamdani’s strategy. Last month he invited Jimmy Williams Jr., president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), to Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence.
At the meeting Mamdani asked which of the potential presidential candidates Williams favours, how the union decides on a formal endorsement, and whether any labour leaders are interested in running for president.
He has also discussed the 2028 election with Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, and plans to meet Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers (UAW), soon.
Williams, Nelson and Fain are regarded as influential leaders of the progressive US labour movement. Through them, Mamdani hopes to harness unions’ organising strength and their sway with voters.
Williams told Axios that he fully supports people from the labour movement running for office at every level, but he has no interest in running himself.
Who if AOC does not run?
The biggest uncertainty in Mamdani’s plans is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s decision. One of the best-known figures in progressive politics, the congresswoman has not decided whether she will run for president or for the Senate in 2028.
Some of those close to her believe progressives’ recent successes in key battleground states could encourage her to run for president. Ocasio-Cortez herself is keeping both options open.
In an interview last month, Mamdani was asked whether he wanted to see her run for president. He said she should do whatever she wants to do, and called her a source of inspiration for him.
If she does not run, several names have come up as alternatives, among them Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan’s newly elected senator, and California congressman Ro Khanna. Some in the progressive camp believe one of them could represent the left in the 2028 election.
Calls for a candidate from the labour movement
In the debate over the future leadership of progressive politics, the idea of choosing a presidential candidate from the labour movement is gaining ground. Bhaskar Sunkara, president of the liberal magazine The Nation, has argued for it.
Sunkara, who backed Bernie Sanders in 2020, earlier urged Ocasio-Cortez to run for president. Recently, though, he has put more weight on the idea of nominating an actual worker.
In his view, progressive ideas grow strong at the ballot box when working people feel the political fight is their own. Choosing a candidate from the working class instead of a professional politician could tie the movement more firmly to ordinary people.
Some left-wing activists also see Shawn Fain as a possible candidate. The labour leader, known for his hard line against billionaires, heads a union that helped Abdul El-Sayed win in Michigan. Fain has said he has no plans to run.
How far can Mamdani get as kingmaker?
Mamdani’s moves could add a new dimension to the Democratic Party’s internal divisions and its contest for leadership ahead of 2028. Moderates want a more centrist candidate to win elections, while progressives want to change the party’s leadership by putting the expectations of workers, young people and ordinary voters first.
Mamdani has already had success with candidates he backed in New York’s local elections, so his political influence now reaches beyond the mayor’s office. The big question is how far that New York success can carry at the national level.
Though he cannot run for president, he wants to play a major role in 2028 by shaping the choice of candidate, winning union support and uniting progressive forces. In the end, Ocasio-Cortez’s decision, the standing of the alternative candidates and the backing of the unions will decide how far Mamdani can become a kingmaker in Democratic politics.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report