[Policy](https://leakly.com/policy/)[[Unconfirmed]](https://leakly.com/editorial-guidelines/#status)

# Mamdani is privately pressing union leaders to back a left-wing 2028 presidential candidate, Axios reports

Four people familiar with the talks told Axios the New York City mayor has met labor leaders about 2028 and is unsure whether Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will run. His office did not comment.

Published 09 Nov 2026, 17:19 UTC · Leaked on 08 November 2026

![Post by @hollyotterbein on X](https://leakly.com/assets/images/mamdani-unions-2028-progressive-candidate-hero.jpg)

Holly Otterbein on X, 8 Nov 2026. [Holly Otterbein on X, 8 Nov 2026](https://x.com/hollyotterbein/status/2119567739626901858).

## Claim

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been privately pressing union leaders to back a labor-aligned or leftist 2028 presidential candidate, Axios reported and Axios reporter @hollyotterbein posted on 8 November 2026 (UTC).

Status [[Unconfirmed]](https://leakly.com/editorial-guidelines/#status)

## What's supported

* Axios reported, citing four people familiar with the talks, that Mamdani has met union leaders to push for a labor-aligned or leftist 2028 presidential candidate.
* Axios named IUPAT president Jimmy Williams Jr. and AFA president Sara Nelson as leaders who met the mayor, with a meeting with UAW president Shawn Fain planned.

## What's not established

* Which candidate, if any, Mamdani and the union leaders would back.
* Whether Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will run for president or for the Senate in 2028.

## What would confirm it

An on-record statement from Mamdani or one of the union leaders describing the 2028 talks.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been meeting privately with union leaders and pressing for a labor-aligned or leftist candidate to run for president in 2028, [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/11/08/scoop-mamdanis-bid-for-2028-kingmaker) reported on November 8, citing four people familiar with the talks. Axios reporter @hollyotterbein posted the scoop on X at 23:08 UTC.

> **Holly Otterbein** @hollyotterbein
>
> Scoop: Zohran Mamdani has been meeting privately with union leaders, urgently talking up the need for a labor-aligned or leftist candidate to run for president, people familiar with the talks tell me.
> He's arguing that progressives can't afford to squander their midterm momentum.
> Behind closed doors, Mamdani has also said he's uncertain whether AOC will launch a White House run, the sources said.
> https://t.co/JrgwB9dZOn
>
> 19,412 likes · 1,191 reposts · counts as of 09 Nov 2026, 17:07 UTC
>
> — Holly Otterbein (@hollyotterbein) [November 8, 2026](https://twitter.com/hollyotterbein/status/2119567739626901858)

According to Axios, Mamdani summoned Jimmy Williams Jr., president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, to Gracie Mansion last month and asked which potential candidates he liked and how the union's endorsement process would unfold. Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, also met with the mayor, and he plans to meet United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain.

The sources told Axios that Mamdani has said privately he is uncertain whether Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will launch a White House run. One source said the mayor wants progressives to mobilize "quickly, strategically and efficiently if a moderate candidate is clearly on the rise," and compared the plan to how Barack Obama appeared to help Joe Biden consolidate support against Bernie Sanders in 2020.

Mamdani was born in Uganda and is ineligible to be president. Williams told Axios he is "absolutely supportive" of labor members running for office but is not interested in running himself, and spokespeople for Mamdani, Fain and Nelson did not comment. The [New York Post](https://nypost.com/2026/11/09/us-news/mamdani-privately-meets-with-powerful-lefty-unions-about-2028-as-he-makes-striking-aoc-admission/) published its own story at 13:01 UTC on November 9, attributing the account to Axios.

The account rests on unnamed people familiar with private meetings, and spokespeople for Mamdani, Fain and Nelson did not comment to Axios.

[Unconfirmed]

## What happened later

The account rests on unnamed people familiar with private meetings, and spokespeople for Mamdani, Fain and Nelson did not comment to Axios.

## Sources

* [Original X post by @hollyotterbein](https://x.com/hollyotterbein/status/2119567739626901858)
* [Scoop: Mamdani's bid for 2028 kingmaker](https://www.axios.com/2026/11/08/scoop-mamdanis-bid-for-2028-kingmaker)
* [Mamdani privately meets with powerful lefty unions about 2028 — as he makes striking AOC admission](https://nypost.com/2026/11/09/us-news/mamdani-privately-meets-with-powerful-lefty-unions-about-2028-as-he-makes-striking-aoc-admission/)

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