Obama Quietly Rallies Behind Controversial Politician in NYC Mayoral Race

The 2025 New York City mayoral race is taking on national overtones — and a growing cast of political heavyweights from Barack Obama’s orbit are stepping in to help Democratic Socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani challenge the Trump-era Republican machine.

At the center of this political bridge-building is Patrick Gaspard — a man who has worn almost every hat in progressive politics. Gaspard is a former U.S. ambassador to South Africa, a key Obama 2008 strategist, a onetime executive director of the Democratic National Committee, and from 2017 to 2020, president of George Soros’ Open Society Foundations. In 2021, he took the helm at the Center for American Progress (CAP), one of Washington’s most influential liberal think tanks.

Now, according to multiple reports, he’s working behind the scenes to connect Mamdani with the high-powered strategists, donors, and messaging talent that helped launch and protect the Obama legacy.

A Backchannel to Obama World

The New York Times revealed this week that Gaspard has been informally advising Mamdani, accompanying him to closed-door meetings, and introducing him to marquee Democratic figures — including David Axelrod, the mastermind behind Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns.

“When I walked into that campaign office, I felt a familiar energy I hadn’t seen in years — determined, upbeat idealism,” Axelrod told the Times. “You may not agree with every single idea, but he’s asking the right questions: How do we make this country work for working people?”

Sources say former President Obama personally called Mamdani in June, shortly after his upset primary win, to offer guidance. “He told Zohran that governing isn’t just about pushing policy — it’s about giving people optimism in dark times,” one campaign insider shared.

Right-Wing Backlash in Trump’s America

Mamdani, a state assemblyman known for his progressive stances on housing, policing, and economic justice, has already drawn the ire of conservative activists. On Wednesday, at a Staten Island campaign stop, protesters shouted “communist” and “go back to where you came from.”

It’s the kind of nativist rhetoric Democrats say has flourished under Trump’s second term. “This is exactly why we need leaders like Mamdani,” Gaspard said in a brief phone interview. “New York must stand as a beacon of pluralism and fairness when the White House is pushing division and fear.”

Big Progressive Donor Networks in Play

Gaspard’s connections could also open the door to well-resourced donor networks. During his tenure at OSF, he oversaw tens of millions of dollars in grants to grassroots movements — including over $23 million to the Working Families Party, which has endorsed Mamdani.

Groups aligned with Mamdani include Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Make The Road Action, and Community Voices Heard — organizations known for mobilizing voters, advancing immigrant rights, and challenging systemic inequality.

Critics on the right have seized on Gaspard’s Soros connection, attempting to paint the campaign as a radical project bankrolled by billionaire influence. Gaspard has pushed back. “George Soros is one of the world’s leading defenders of democracy and civil society,” he said earlier this year when Biden awarded Soros the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “His work has always been about expanding rights, not restricting them.”

The Road Ahead

With Trump’s allies working to flip local governments and consolidate power in urban centers, Democrats see the 2025 New York City mayor’s race as a crucial symbolic and strategic fight.

Former Obama speechwriters Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer — co-hosts of Pod Save America — are reportedly monitoring the campaign closely. “Zohran represents the next generation of progressive leadership,” said one source close to the pair. “If he wins, it shows you can run left in a Trump America and still inspire a majority.”

For Mamdani, the challenge will be keeping his coalition united and turning national attention into turnout on Election Day. As Gaspard put it: “New Yorkers have a choice between retreating in fear or stepping forward with hope. This campaign is about making that choice crystal clear.”