New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani expressed confidence that a progressive presidential candidate could win in 2028 during an interview Wednesday.
Mamdani told NBC’s Kristen Welker that progressive policies helped candidates win races across the country Tuesday, specifically pointing to Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico, Georgia governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms and South Carolina Sen.-elect Annie Andrews.
“So, Mayor, given this argument that you’re making, do you think there is a path for a progressive candidate in the presidential race in 2028?” Welker asked during the interview.
STATE OF PLAY: BLUE WAVE SWEEPS DEMOCRATS INTO POWER, WITH KEY RACES STILL HANGING IN BALANCE
Mamdani replied, “Absolutely.”
Asked what gave him confidence, Mamdani said the midterm election results showed that the struggles he has seen in New York City also exist elsewhere, and that Democrats have a “mandate” to address them.
AMERICA SAW THE BLUE WAVE COMING — BUT DRASTICALLY UNDERESTIMATED THE EXTENT OF THE DEM TSUNAMI
“We have heard time and again over the ten months that I’ve been in office here in New York City, that what we’re doing here can’t work elsewhere, that what people are concerned about here isn’t what people are concerned about across the country,” Mamdani said. “And what we saw last night is that the struggles of Americans in Atlanta, of Americans in Allentown, are not all that different than the struggles of Americans in Astoria.”
The mayor argued that “dignity” had to be at the heart of American politics and said, “It has to be at the heart of our vision for what comes next, because we’ve had the debate for a number of years.”
“Now is the time for us and the Democratic Party to deliver. And we have to deliver with the same urgency that Americans have given us this mandate,” the mayor said.
Y. David Scharf, chairman of Morrison Cohen LLP and head of its Government Strategies & Controversies practice, told Fox News Digital in a statement, “The Mayor is getting ahead of himself. One good night doesn’t make a mandate, not for progressives and frankly not for anybody.”
“What voters did tell us is that they’re anxious about kitchen table issues: rent, groceries, gas, and whether their kids can afford to build a life. Voters in Atlanta and Allentown weren’t signing up for democratic socialism. They were asking someone to take those concerns seriously. That message is for both parties, Republicans included. Whoever takes those issues on most convincingly wins in 2028,” he added.
Mamdani-backed congressional candidate Claire Valdez was the projected winner in her congressional race against Republican challenger Melvin Rivera, a community activist, on Tuesday.
The district’s strong Democratic lean made Valdez the favorite, and her victory marked another win for the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in the 2026 midterms. New York’s 7th District was seen as a proxy for the direction of the party in June’s primary elections.
Welker also asked Mamdani about whether he would support congressional Democrats pursuing the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
“Look, I would support our Congress taking action that will deliver change in Americans’ lives that they can feel in their wallets. And I would also support our Congress taking action to confront the corruption that we have seen in Washington,” he said. “For far too long, Americans have been voting for a new vision of government. And it’s time that we hear that. And don’t try and confine it into just one lane of what that politics must mean. I believe in so many of the people elected last night’s ability to take action across the board.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
Mamdani also said he was unsure whether pursuing impeachment was part of Democrats’ plans when asked whether the effort could backfire.
“What I have heard time and again is how we can move with the urgency of action that’s been required by the American people. And to me, it is an urgency that speaks about data centers. It’s an urgency that speaks about tariffs. It’s an urgency that speaks about the fact that we have continued to fund the violation of international law across so many parts of the world when especially when we’re looking at Palestine and even when we’re looking at Iran,” Mamdani said. “And that is something that needs to be confronted. And I’m excited that the fact that we now have the opportunity to do so.”