Former US President Barack Obama personally called New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Saturday, praising his campaign and offering to be a “sounding board” in the future, The New York Times reported.
The private, 30-minute phone call was confirmed by two people involved or informed of the discussion, the report said.
“Your campaign has been impressive to watch,” Obama told Mamdani, according to those familiar with the conversation.
Praise and political leadership
During the call, Obama reportedly told Mamdani that he was “invested in his success” after the upcoming election and discussed the challenges of forming an administration capable of advancing his affordability agenda in New York.
Obama also spoke admiringly of Mamdani’s electoral discipline, joking about his own early political mistakes and noting how few Mamdani made “in such a bright spotlight”.
Although the former president did not formally endorse Mamdani – in line with his policy of avoiding running for municipal races – the call was seen as a quiet show of support.
Plans for further contact
Obama offered to stay in touch and serve as a mentor if Mamdani won the New York City mayoral election. The two also discussed tentative plans to meet in Washington, although no date was set.
Obama’s spokeswoman declined to comment on the call. Mamdani’s spokeswoman Dora Pekec said in a statement: “Zohran Mamdani appreciated President Obama’s words of support and their conversation about the importance of bringing a new kind of politics to our city.”
Obama’s former political director Patrick Gaspard, now an adviser to Mamdani, said Obama’s first call to Mamdani in June came “unsolicited, unsolicited.”
“The fact that he made that phone call to us and then the news of that call getting out into the world was a very important signal to many in the political establishment,” Gaspard told The New York Times.
His campaign, which has been compared to Obama’s 2008 candidacy, included rallies with Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
A person close to Obama told The Times that he saw Mamdani’s rise as an example of the kind of leadership he hopes will flourish — one that emerges independently but aligns with his vision for the Democratic Party’s future.
