Obama, Mamdani Share Phone Call Ahead of NYC Mayoral Election

Former President Barack Obama spoke with New York City mayoral Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani on the phone on Saturday to offer compliments to his campaign and other advice.

The Details: Obama has not formally endorsed Mamdani, but told Mamdani that his “campaign has been impressive to watch.” Obama also reportedly told Mamdani that he was interested to watch Mamdani’s political career past Tuesday’s election and offered to be a “sounding board” in the future.

For Context: New York Times (Lean Left bias) wrote that Obama’s lack of a formal endorsement is “in keeping with his general practice of avoiding any intervention in municipal races since he left office,” noting that he has endorsed mayoral candidates "exceedingly rarely.” Other Democrats, including Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), have not yet endorsed Mamdani.

Key Quotes: Mamdani said, “I appreciated the call with President Obama and his support for the movement that we have created. I appreciated his words. I appreciated his time, and I appreciate this movement for putting us on the brink of delivering us a new city in this place.” 

How the Media Covered It: New York Times and The Hill (Center) both noted in headlines that Obama “praised” Mamdani’s campaign. The Hill also included Mamdani’s post on X from Sunday in which he “made fun” of candidate Andrew Cuomo for his endorsement from President Donald Trump. New York Post (Lean Right) wrote that Mamdani “spews word-salad” in response to the call and called Obama’s lack of formal endorsement a “snub.” 

Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission. Suggest an improvement to this summary.