This is an adapted excerpt from the Aug. 14 episode of “All In with Chris Hayes.”
Since his victory in the New York City mayoral Democratic primary in June, Zohran Mamdani’s candidacy has divided Democrats. The self-described democratic socialist has yet to secure endorsements from some of his state’s most prominent Democrats, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
However, this week, The New York Times revealed that one major Democratic Party figure has expressed interest in Mamdani’s campaign: former President Barack Obama. The Times reported, “In a lengthy call in June, Mr. Obama congratulated Mr. Mamdani, offered him advice about governing and discussed the importance of giving people hope in a dark time, according to people with knowledge of the conversation.”
What’s been interesting about Obama’s post-presidential political activity is that these phone calls are actually more frequent than people may realize. When the former president sees someone who’s a rising star — who deserves not just attention, but also nurturing, to a certain extent — he’ll make a phone call like this.
Looking toward the upcoming general election, Mamdani will have to put whatever advice he’s received into action and defend his ideas to the public. He’ll have an opportunity, once again, to show his political chops. But whether it’s a primary or general election, in the end, voters will decide.
For Obama, it doesn’t seem to be about ideology. He’s also played a role in electing more moderate Democrats, like Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin. Obama endorsed Slotkin in 2024 and even cut a campaign ad to show his support.
Obama knows that as a party, Democrats shouldn’t just ignore someone like Mamdani. He ran a campaign that mobilized hundreds of thousands of people. Not reaching out to someone like that to have a discussion would have been the wrong decision.
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