Jared Evan

Once dismissed by many Democrats as too radical to lead America’s largest city, socialist New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is now receiving a quiet but significant boost from the very top of the Democratic establishment — including figures tied to both Barack Obama and George Soros.

A recent New York Times opinion piece revealed that former President Obama personally phoned Mamdani after his Democratic primary win in June, offering advice on governing and stressing the importance of “giving people hope in dark times.” While Obama stopped short of a public endorsement, the move has been read by political insiders as a signal that the party’s elite may be warming to the avowed socialist’s candidacy.

Behind the scenes, some of the biggest names in “Obama world” are now in Mamdani’s orbit. Patrick Gaspard — a longtime Obama confidant, Democratic National Committee executive director, and former U.S. ambassador to South Africa — has been informally advising Mamdani, attending his victory party, and even introducing him to Obama campaign architect David Axelrod Axelrod, who met Mamdani at campaign headquarters in Manhattan last month, said he saw “determined, upbeat idealism” in the candidate, adding, “You may not agree with every answer he’s giving, but he’s asking the right questions.”, Gaspard’s influence brings more than just political expertise. From 2017 to 2020, he served as president of Soros’ powerful Open Society Foundations (OSF), where he oversaw millions in grants to left-wing causes — including over $23 million to the Working Families Party, a key Mamdani ally. Gaspard has vigorously defended Soros against criticism of funding far-left prosecutors and groups pushing lenient criminal justice policies, calling Soros “one of our leading defenders of inclusive and accountable democracy”, Fox News pointed out.

That OSF funding pipeline has already benefited Mamdani through aligned organizations like Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Make the Road Action, and Community Voices Heard — groups that have endorsed him and share his hardline positions on policing, Israel, and economic redistribution.

While national Democrats once shied away from Mamdani’s radical platform — which includes government-run grocery stores, taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries, and an expansive network of “free” public services — he is now backed by progressive powerhouses like Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Even former Obama aides like Jeffrey Lerner, now Mamdani’s communications director, are framing him as a leader in the Obama mold, praising his “thoughtful leadership” and “moral courage.”

The quiet embrace from Obama and the Soros network could prove decisive in the general election, where Mamdani faces disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams (both independents), and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Political strategist Max Burns told the Washington Examiner that Obama’s phone call is a green light for other establishment Democrats to fall in line: “If he’s comfortable letting his name be linked to Mamdani so directly, expect more big names to follow.”

For critics, this convergence of Obama alumni and Soros-funded operatives is no accident — it’s the normalization of an agenda that pushes New York politics further left than ever before. For Mamdani, it’s a signal that the once-unthinkable — a socialist in City Hall with elite Democratic backing — is now within reach.