Khaberni - Former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris made a phone call last week to New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani, and also held meetings with other prominent figures including activists supporting Palestine.
This comes amid the latest indications that she is laying the groundwork for a possible White House candidacy in 2028, seeking to bolster or repair her relations with the Democratic Party's left wing.
Harris contacted Mamdani last Thursday to discuss the future of the party and plan for a longer conversation, according to a source familiar with the call. This happened two days after candidates personally picked by the mayor won three congressional races in New York, ousting two incumbents, indicating Mamdani's rising influence within the party.
Harris also met last April with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Democrat from New York) in Chicago, on the sidelines of the "Power Rising" conference for empowering Black women.
According to sources, Harris and her team communicated last year with activists supporting the Palestinians, including Abbas Alawiya, a co-founder of the "Uncommitted" movement that arose from opposition to former President Biden's policy on the Gaza war.
Harris met Alawiya last week in Detroit, who is currently running as a Democrat for a seat in the Michigan State Senate and has stated that he voted for her in the 2024 elections.
Harris recently spoke with James Zogby, a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee and a defender of Palestinian rights. No comment has been issued from Zogby or representatives for Harris and Mamdani.
These movements come at a time when many on the Democratic left feel disappointed that Harris hasn't sufficiently distanced herself from Biden's pro-Israel stance during the 2024 campaign.
In 2024, uncommitted Democrats stated that Harris' campaign rejected their request for a Palestinian American to speak at the Democratic National Convention, leaving many activists feeling politically homeless.
In her 2025 book "107 Days," Harris wrote that she had secretly pleaded with Biden to show more sympathy for the civilians killed in Gaza, but described his statements about the Palestinians as "inadequate and contrived."
Although Harris remains at the forefront of early polling for potential contenders in the 2028 Democratic primaries, she faces doubts from the left, center, and donors alike. Some pro-Palestinian voices express skepticism about Harris' ability to attract Arab and leftist voters without making significant concessions, as progressive strategist Rania Patrice stated, "Why should we trust her now? If this change is real, she has a chance to prove it."
