Scoop: Harris reaches out to Mamdani, pro-Palestinian activists in run-up to 2028

Kamala Harris privately called New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani last week and has been holding lengthy, closed-door meetings with other prominent progressives — including pro-Palestinian activists.

Why it matters: It's the latest sign the former vice president is laying the groundwork for a potential White House run in 2028 — and looking to strengthen or repair her relationships with left-wing Democrats.

Driving the news: Harris called Mamdani last Thursday to talk about the party's future and plan a longer conversation, a person familiar with the call told Axios.

• Harris, who occasionally has texted with Mamdani in the past few months, called him two days after the mayor's handpicked candidates swept three congressional races in New York City, ousting a pair of incumbents.
• In April, Harris met with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in Chicago on the sidelines of the "Power Rising" conference, a summit for Black women empowerment.

Harris and her team also have been reaching out to pro-Palestinian activists during the past year, including at least one who helped lead the "Uncommitted Movement," which grew out of opposition to former President Biden's policy on the war in Gaza.

• In 2024, the uncommitted Democratic delegates said the Harris campaign denied their request for a Palestinian American to speak at the Democratic National Convention. Ultimately, many of the activists felt politically homeless and split on whether to endorse Harris.
• Last week in Detroit, Harris met with a co-founder of the Uncommitted Movement, Abbas Alawieh, who's now running as a Democrat for a Michigan state Senate seat. He has said he voted for Harris in 2024.
• Harris also talked recently with James Zogby, a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee who has advocated for Palestinian rights, according to sources familiar with their conversation.

Alawieh told Axios that Harris requested the meeting after months of private conversations she initiated.

• During their talks, he said, he "reiterated my longstanding position that American tax dollars should never be used to target civilians or destroy entire communities."
• Alawieh, who stressed he wasn't speaking for the Uncommitted Movement, added that he "shared with her that members of the community that I'm seeking to represent have recently lost family members in Israeli air strikes that have been supported by the U.S."
• Zogby and spokespeople for Harris and Mamdani declined to comment.

Harris also has reached out to former aides and other Democrats to discuss China, artificial intelligence, Venezuela and other issues, people familiar with the communications told Axios.

Flashback: Many on the left were disappointed that Harris didn't distance herself from Biden's reflexively pro-Israel stance during the 2024 general election.

• In Biden's White House, Harris had considered herself an advocate for on-the-ground activists, including those worried about Palestinians in Gaza. She had her office organize meetings and calls with progressive advocates.
• She wrote in her 2025 book, "107 Days," that she privately "pleaded" with Biden to show more empathy for civilians killed in Gaza. "He couldn't do it: while [Biden] could passionately state, 'I am a Zionist,' his remarks about innocent Palestinians came off as inadequate and forced."
• Harris also wrote that she sometimes was frustrated with pro-Palestinian protesters interrupting her campaign events in 2024.
• "The issue was not binary, but the outcome of this election certainly was," she wrote.

The other side: Some pro-Palestinian voices expressed doubts that Harris would be able to win over Arab American and left-wing voters in the future without major concessions.

• "Why should we trust her now?" said Rania Batrice, a progressive strategist and Palestinian American. "If this change is real, she has an opportunity to prove it."
• "Until then, skepticism isn't just understandable, it's warranted."

Patrick Gaspard, a longtime Democratic strategist, has been a validator for Harris among some on the left wing.

• "In real time, the vice president had concerns about a lack of empathy for Palestinians in the way the Biden White House presented their policies," he told Axios.
• "She tried then as she continues now to hear opinions beyond Foggy Bottom and Pennsylvania Ave."

Between the lines: Harris remains at or close to the top of most early polls of potential contenders in the 2028 Democratic presidential primary. But she faces doubts from the left, center, and donors.

• Harris' policy record is a muddle: She ran as a progressive in the 2020 Democratic primary — including being one of the first contenders to embrace Sen. Bernie Sanders' Medicare for All bill — but then distanced herself from several of those proposals in 2024.
• If she runs, she wouldn't clear the Democratic field for president — and many in the party doubt her ability to win a general election after 2024.
• Even so, in many parts of the country — especially the South, which is critical in any Democratic primary — Harris is often greeted as a rock star.