Former U.S. President Barack Obama called New York state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani in June to congratulate him on winning the New York City Democratic mayoral primary.
The call, which was first reported by The New York Times on Wednesday, was “lengthy,” and included advice from the former president “about governing” and a discussion of “the importance of giving people hope in a dark time,” per the Times.
Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has struggled to garner support from mainstream Democrats amid controversy over his views on rent control, free city buses, government-run grocery stores and the State of Israel, as well as previous calls to “defund the police.”
The 33-year-old nominee confirmed on Thursday that the call with Obama took place, though he did not indicate whether he had the former president’s support.
“I leave the decision of endorsements to the president,” Mamdani said.
New York’s Leading Democratic lawmakers—Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Gov. Kathy Hochul—have all so far declined to endorse the Democratic nominee.
