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Three days before the New York City mayoral election, former President Barack Obama called frontrunner Zohran Mamdani to offer his endorsement.
The 64-year-old Democrat offered to be a “sounding board” for Mamdani, the Democratic socialist who is leading the race in the polls.
“Zohran Mamdani appreciated President Obama’s words of support and his conversation on the importance of bringing a new kind of politics to our city,” Mamdani spokesperson Dora Peck told Fox News Digital.
Mamdani’s main rivals are former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent candidate, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
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Three days before the New York City mayoral election, former President Barack Obama called frontrunner Zohran Mamdani to offer his endorsement. (Neil Constantine/Nurfoto via Getty Images; Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Sliwa’s campaign told Fox News Digital it had no comment on the call.
Cuomo lost to Mamdani in the Democratic primary last summer.
The phone call between Mamdani and Obama came on the same day that Obama was campaigning for Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and for Mickey Sherrill in New Jersey. Both the Democrats are in a close race for the post of governor in their respective states.
Obama blamed Republicans for the government shutdown and said it felt like every day was Halloween.
New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani leads Tuesday’s election. (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)
Both women are Democratic gubernatorial candidates.
“Your campaign has been impressive to watch,” Obama told Mamdani in a 30-minute private conversation, The New York Times said, citing two people familiar with the conversation.
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Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger joins former President Barack Obama during a campaign event in Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
The newspaper reported that Obama has not officially endorsed Mamdani after vowing not to interfere in municipal races, and said it was the second conversation between the two men since the Democratic primary.
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Obama spoke to Mamdani as some established Democrats, such as New York Senator Chuck Schumer, have kept their distance from the progressive leader.
