Scoop: Mamdani's bid for 2028 kingmaker

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani can't be president, so he's trying to be the next best thing: a progressive kingmaker for 2028. Mamdani has been meeting privately with union leaders, urgently talking up the need for a labor-aligned or leftist candidate to run for the White House, four people familiar with the talks told Axios. He's arguing that progressives can't afford to squander their midterm momentum. Why it matters: Behind closed doors, Mamdani has made a striking admission that helps explain why he's so eager to huddle with allies about 2028: He's uncertain whether New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, his close political partner, will launch a White House run, the sources said. If Ocasio-Cortez stays out of the 2028 race, it would upend the Democratic primary — and potentially leave the party's insurgent left without a candidate. Zoom in: Mamdani — who's ineligible to be president because he was born in Uganda — wants to coordinate with progressive leaders partly to prepare to unite against any leading centrist presidential contender they aren't happy with, according to one of the sources who has spoken with the mayor. Mamdani "wants the progressive ecosystem to mobilize quickly, strategically and efficiently if a moderate candidate is clearly on the rise," the person said, pointing to how former President Barack Obama appeared to help Joe Biden consolidate support against Bernie Sanders in 2020. Last month, Mamdani summoned the president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, Jimmy Williams Jr., to Gracie Mansion to talk about 2028. Mamdani asked Williams which potential presidential candidates he liked and how his union's endorsement process would unfold. He also asked Williams whether he'd ever considered running for office, the sources said. The source who has spoken with Mamdani noted that the mayor recruited — and helped elect — several left-wing congressional candidates in New York this year. Sara Nelson, president of the Associ