Mamdani pursuing role as 2028 ‘progressive kingmaker’

Mayor Zohran Mamdani wants far-left activists to mobilize against centrist candidates in the 2028 race, according to the report.

By World Israel News Staff

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is positioning himself to become a powerful kingmaker for far-left candidates in the 2028 presidential election, seeking to influence the Democratic Party’s direction despite being constitutionally barred from running for president himself, according to an Axios report.

Mamdani, one of the most prominent progressive Democrats in American politics, was born in Uganda and is therefore unable to serve as president under the U.S. Constitution, which requires the president to be a natural-born citizen.

He reportedly hopes to become one of the most influential figures in progressive politics, wielding enough political clout to help determine which Democratic candidates succeed — and which fail.

According to Axios, Mamdani intends to use his influence to promote candidates on the party’s far-left flank while working to prevent more moderate or centrist contenders from gaining momentum.

Mamdani “wants the progressive ecosystem to mobilize quickly, strategically and efficiently if a moderate candidate is clearly on the rise,” a source told Axios.

The report cited an October meeting at Gracie Mansion, the New York City mayor’s official residence, between Mamdani and Jimmy Williams Jr., president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT).

During the meeting, Mamdani reportedly asked Williams whether there were any candidates he favored for the 2028 presidential race and whether he himself would consider running for office.

Speaking to Axios, Williams did not specifically confirm or deny the details of the conversation, but he expressed enthusiasm for Democratic tickets featuring candidates from the labor movement.

Although he said he had no interest in running for public office himself, Williams praised the recent electoral success of working-class candidates.

“We put a freaking ironworker in Congress. We put a IUPAT member in the Senate,” he said, referring to Brian Poindexter of Ohio and Maine senator-elect Troy Jackson.