President Barack Obama called Zohran Mamdani after his Democratic primary win

Obama’s call signals progressive momentum as Mamdani’s affordability agenda defines NYC’s mayoral race.

President Barack Obama called Zohran Mamdani shortly after his Democratic primary win in the race for New York City mayor. For many, the gesture was a nod to Mamdani’s grassroots style of campaigning and his affordability-focused platform, which some say represents the future of the Democratic Party.

“We spoke about the importance, in a moment such as this, where politics is often characterized by a language of darkness, of the necessity of hope in how we speak and how we orient ourselves to the world,” Mamdani told reporters at a recent campaign stop in the Bronx.

The parallels between Obama and Mamdani are striking. Both shook up the Democratic establishment with underdog victories that altered their political trajectories.

Obama, then a junior U.S. senator from Illinois, defeated Hillary Clinton in a Democratic presidential primary many assumed was hers to win. Criticized as inexperienced and told to wait his turn, he went on to serve two terms as president.

Mamdani, 33, is a Queens assemblyman who is taking on incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, despite similar attacks questioning his readiness for office. He has centered his campaign on an ambitious affordability agenda: free city buses, rent freezes, expanded housing, and a higher minimum wage.

Obama, who pursued and achieved expanded health care through the Affordable Care Act, reportedly shared advice on governing and offered Mamdani words of encouragement.

“It was a call that I was honored to receive,” Mamdani said of his conversation with the former president. “It was an honor to have that conversation and that presents for us an opportunity to continue to build on both, the way in which we practice our politics. But also, as the borough president said, it is one thing to inspire hope. Our responsibility now is also to deliver on and take justice seriously.”

Despite the high-profile call, mainstream Democratic leaders such as New York U.S. Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Chuck Schumer have yet to endorse Mamdani. Cable and mainstream news outlets alike have pressed party leaders on the delay, often with their own political agendas in play–what’s the hold-up?

In contrast, Senator Elizabeth Warren quickly stepped forward to voice her support for Mamdani.

“Come talk about affordability for families…This is who Democrats fight for, and Zohran is on the front lines in that fight, out there fighting for families,” Warren said earlier this month at a child care affordability event.

For Warren, Mamdani embodies what the future of the party should look like.

Meanwhile, Mamdani has faced a barrage of attacks from Adams’ campaign and from former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has yet to exit the race despite losing to Mamdani in the primary. Even so, Mamdani remains the frontrunner in multiple polls of New York voters.