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.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 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 American tax dolla...