With just one day left before New York City voters head to the mayoral polls, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani sought to play down former President Barack Obama’s decision not to publicly endorse him — even as he acknowledged speaking with the former president by phone.
‘I appreciated his words’
“I appreciated the call with President Obama and his support for the movement that we have created,” Mamdani told reporters during an early-morning press conference in City Hall Park on Monday (November 2).
“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,” the Queens lawmaker added in a somewhat winding response when pressed about Obama’s absence from the campaign trail.
Obama skips New York stop
Over the weekend, Obama appeared in neighboring New Jersey to campaign for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill — but notably skipped any in-person appearance for Mamdani in New York City.
While the two spoke briefly over the phone, campaign aides have not disclosed details of their conversation.
Struggles with moderate Democrats
Since clinching the Democratic nomination in June, Mamdani has faced resistance from the moderate wing of his party, which has been slow to rally around his progressive platform.
It took months for Governor Kathy Hochul and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to publicly endorse him — both offering support only after mounting pressure from party activists.