Kamala Harris forms power pact with NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani — as their lengthy phone call emerges

Kamala Harris is quietly strengthening ties with one of the Democratic Party’s fastest-rising progressive stars, holding an extended private phone call with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The conversation, which took place last week, focused on the future of the party and served as the beginning of what is expected to be a longer series of discussions between the two, Axios reports.

“This is about positioning for the 2028 primary where no candidate knows where the lane for support for Palestinian rights is going to be but they know there’s going to be one,” Republican consultant Mike Madrid told The California Post.

“No question this is a risky move but it’s one transforming both parties and the calculus at the moment has become it’s better to do something than nothing,” he added.

Harris’ outreach came just days after Democratic socialist candidates backed by Mamdani scored victories in three New York congressional primaries, defeating two incumbent lawmakers and further cementing the mayor’s growing influence within the party.

Strategist Matt Klink told the Post, the choice Harris is making is a “a strategic calculation for 2028.”

“The 2024 loss made clear that the activist left, if not energized, has enough leverage to sink a Democratic nominee, and she would rather have those people knocking doors than burning down her campaign before it starts,” he said,

The outreach is part of a broader effort by Harris to rebuild relationships with the Democratic Party’s progressive wing, particularly activists critical of the Biden administration’s handling of the war in Gaza.

She withheld an endorsement in New York City’s mayoral race until after the Democratic primary. Once Mamdani secured the nomination, Harris offered a measured endorsement during an MSNBC interview, saying, “I support the Democrat in the race, sure,” without explicitly mentioning him by name.

“Harris is “kissing the ring” in her Mamdani outreach, as the mayor is the most high-profile DSA leader in America. Mamdani’s primary wins proved the DSA machine can deliver election results outside Brooklyn,” Klink added. “Harris read that scoreboard faster than most: the activists have the passion, the money, and the primary voters, and she wants all three.”

Harris has spent months meeting privately with left-wing organizers, including figures connected to the pro-Palestinian Uncommitted Movement, while also holding discussions with longtime Democratic National Committee member James Zogby and Michigan Democrat Abbas Alawieh.

Alawieh said Harris requested their meeting following months of private conversations and that he urged her to oppose the use of US tax dollars to harm civilians or destroy communities.

He also shared accounts from constituents whose relatives were killed in Israeli airstrikes backed by US military assistance.

The renewed outreach marks a notable shift for Harris, whose 2024 presidential campaign struggled to win over many Arab American and progressive voters after declining to significantly distance herself from President Joe Biden’s staunch support for Israel during the conflict in Gaza.

This comes as DSA-backed candidates continue gaining ground across the country.

In New York City, DSA-backed candidates recently unseated several longtime Democratic incumbents in congressional primaries, including Reps. Dan Goldman and Adriano Espaillat.

Similar momentum is emerging elsewhere: In Los Angeles, City Councilmember Nithya Raman is running in the mayoral race against incumbent Karen Bass, while in Washington, DC, DSA member Janeese Lewis George won the Democratic mayoral primary.

In Colorado, political newcomer and democratic socialist Melat Kiros is poised to become the first Gen Z woman elected to Congress after defeating 15-term Rep. Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary, according to a race call.

Klink even went as far to note, the potential for a Harris-Mamdani ticket “isn’t too far fetched.”

“Palestinian/anti-Israeli activists this early in the 2028 cycle is an acknowledgment that the DSA wing sets the price of admission for a Democrat presidential primary,” he told the Post.

Mamdani, born in Kampala, Uganda to Indian-origin parents and a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2018, is constitutionally ineligible to serve as vice president.

Under Article II, Section 1 and the Twelfth Amendment, the vice president must meet the same requirements as the president, including being a “natural-born citizen,” meaning born in the United States or born abroad to U.S. citizen parents.

Because Mamdani does not meet that standard, he is ineligible to serve as vice president on a presidential ticket. That said, it does not preclude ambitions for other high office.

Madrid, who has advised on presidential campaigns, said Harris’ recent moves reflect a rapidly changing Democratic electorate and growing divisions within the party.

“Harris’ shift is a sign of just how much has changed, and how quickly, in the Democratic Party on the issue of Palestine and Israel,” he said.

“There’s definitely an emerging split in the party that’s very reminiscent of the Tea Party extremism that consumed the GOP a decade ago,” he said, noting that despite recent DSA gains, “for every DSA win, there’s a [James] Talarico and [Xavier] Becerra win.”

Harris enters the maneuvering from a position of relative strength.

A national Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll published last month found the former vice president remained the leading choice among Democratic voters for the party’s 2028 presidential nomination, earning 27% support — nearly double that of California Gov. Gavin Newsom at 14%.

Although her support has declined from earlier surveys, she continues to hold a commanding lead over a crowded field of potential contenders.

At the same time, other Democrats eyeing the White House have also been recalibrating their positions on Israel as divisions within the party deepen.

Newsom, who is publicly weighing a run as he finishes his final gubernatorial term, briefly described Israel as an “apartheid state” earlier this year before later saying he regretted the wording, while reaffirming his support for Israel and criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rather than the Israeli state itself.

Outside of Harris and Newsom, other Democratic contenders include Pete Buttigieg, Governors Josh Shapiro, Andy Beshear, J.B. Pritzker, and more.

“Every serious 2028 Democrat presidential contender is watching Harris and taking notes. The candidate who figures out how to embrace the activist energy without getting photographed at the wrong rally will have a real advantage in what will be a crowded Democrat primary,” Klink added.

Neither Harris nor representatives for Mamdani publicly commented on the private call, Axios reported.

Mamdani is widely known for his staunch, outspoken criticism of Israel, often describing its policies toward Palestinians as apartheid and genocide, and he strongly supports the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

He has taken his time to warm up to the Democratic establishment, including figures such as Harris.

While supporters welcome Harris’ outreach, some say it is a flawed strategy.

“Chasing the activist left, in this case the socialist wing, to gai momentum and to win a primary is a time-honored Democratic tradition that consistently creates general election problems,” Klink said. “Harris is gambling that she can consolidate the base early, capture and bottle their enthusiasm, and then, if successful, pivot to the center later. ”

“It’s a flawed strategy with a notably poor track record,” he added.

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