Mayor Mamdani confirmed Monday that he has been privately meeting with labor leaders ahead of the 2028 presidential election — as progressives across the nation look to capitalize on the momentum of Democrats’ blowout victory last week.
Mamdani, who is emerging as a key player in Democratic circles, has emphasized that the party needs to embrace an emphasis on working-class voters headed into the presidential race. The theme of affordability, which featured heavily in Mamdani’s own mayoral campaign, were key to many successful Democratic campaigns in the midterms.
The mayor said at a press conference Monday that he’s been meeting with labor leaders — like Jimmy Williams Jr., the president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, and Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-C.W.A — to keep that the focus. Axios first reported the news of those meetings.
He’s also expected to meet with Shawn Fain, president of the United Automobile Workers, on Wednesday, sources familiar told The News. Fain has himself been the subject of some 2028 murmurings — with Politico reporting this summer that he hadn’t ruled out a run for president.
“I had sought and continue to meet with labor leaders precisely because they have been on the front lines of delivering for those working people, and the importance of ensuring that the crises that affect working people are at the centerpiece of any of the politics that comes from now until 2028,” Mamdani said at a lower Manhattan press conference.
Mamdani has flexed his muscles as a kingmaker in both local and national elections this year. As attention turns to to 2028, he’s also met with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who’s weighing a run either for president or Sen. Chuck Schumer’s seat in the Senate, and California Rep. Ro Khanna, who’s likely to run.
If AOC doesn’t run for president, it could leave the left-leaning populist lane wide open.
Asked about AOC, Mamdani said that he knows “the congresswoman makes her determinations on the basis of the most amount of good she can do for the largest number of working people.”
Also on Monday, a new political organization aimed at pushing AOC to campaign for president formally launched. The organization, called Ready for AOC, is circulating a petition with the aim of getting one million signatures urging her to run.
A similar effort called Run Ro was launched on behalf of Khanna this month.
Polls have shown Mamdani is among the most popular elected officials not just in New York but across the country. He is excluded from running for president as he was born in Uganda.