Kamala Harris Courts Mamdani To Shore Up Support For Potential 2028 Run

Former Vice President Kamala Harris is quietly connecting with key progressive leaders and activists as she explores another run for the White House in 2028.

In recent weeks, she privately phoned New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to discuss the future of the Democratic Party and to set up additional conversations. The call came just days after several democratic socialist candidates backed by Mamdani won congressional primaries in New York City, underscoring the mayor’s growing sway on the party’s left.

Harris has also held private meetings with progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and pro-Palestinian activists who voiced strong criticism of the Biden-Harris administration’s approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict during the 2024 campaign. One notable conversation involved Abbas Alawieh, a co-founder of the Uncommitted Movement, which protested the administration’s Israel policy. Harris initiated months of outreach before meeting him in Detroit, where Alawieh reiterated his opposition to using U.S. taxpayer funds to target civilians or destroy communities.

She has similarly spoken with longtime Democratic National Committee member James Zogby, a prominent advocate for Palestinian rights. These steps reflect Harris’s effort to repair relationships with the party’s progressive wing, many of whom remained skeptical of her in 2024 and declined to fully endorse her after she did not sufficiently distance herself from Biden’s Middle East policies.

Mamdani publicly confirmed the outreach, noting that he and Harris have stayed in touch over the past several months. “The vice president reached out to have a conversation, and we’ve had a brief conversation,” he said. “We’ve been in touch over the last few months, and I really do appreciate her outreach.”

The renewed engagement comes as Harris has offered some of her clearest indications yet that she is weighing another presidential bid. Earlier this year, when asked about 2028, she replied, “I might. I’m thinking about it … I’ll keep you posted.”

While she remains an early frontrunner in many Democratic primary polls, Harris continues to navigate questions from various factions within the party following her 2024 defeat. Her latest outreach suggests that winning back support from the progressive left — particularly activists focused on foreign policy — will be a priority in any future campaign. She has also been consulting former aides and Democratic officials on a range of policy issues, including China, artificial intelligence, and Venezuela.