Former Vice President Kamala Harris has begun a political blitz of outreach to radical left-wing and anti-Israel activists in recent months, aiming to cement her position as frontrunner in the Democratic Party’s 2028 primary race. Harris’s overtures came immediately after a wave of dramatic socialist victories in New York state primaries that ousted veteran pro-Israel Democratic incumbents, the New York Post reported Wednesday.
5+A source close to the details confirmed that Harris personally reached out to socialist New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani—who previously tried to block Joe Biden’s nomination—and congratulated him on his slate’s primary success.
Mamdani himself confirmed the contact in an interview on SiriusXM’s “The Clay Cane Show,” saying: “The vice president reached out to have a conversation, and we had a brief conversation. We’ve been in touch over the last few months, and I really appreciate her reaching out.”
5+Alongside Mamdani, Harris held a series of phone calls and met in Detroit with Abbas Alawieh, co-founder of the “Uncommitted Movement” that led the boycott against the administration over its support for Israel. Harris also spoke with Democratic National Committee member James Zogby, a longtime pro-Palestinian activist.
Alawieh posted details of the meeting and calls on X: “In my first call with former Vice President Harris, I shared with her that several community members in the Michigan state senate district I’m running to represent recently had family members killed in Israeli airstrikes backed by our American government, and that my 91-year-old grandmother’s home was also destroyed.”
5+Alawieh described their formal meeting last week: “When I met with her last week, I reiterated what has been my longstanding position: U.S. tax dollars should never be used to target civilians and destroy entire communities.”
He concluded with a direct appeal to party leadership: “Every Democrat knows how critical Michigan is to defeating Trumpism. As a Democratic candidate in Michigan for state senate, I’m urging Vice President Harris and all our party leaders to stand with peace-loving Americans against endless wars, in opposition to the Israeli military’s genocide in Gaza, and against the ethnic cleansing campaign in Lebanon.”
5+Harris’s attempts to court the progressive wing aren’t new, but they’ve taken on fresh urgency following the 2024 presidential election results and recent local primaries.
Back in July 2024, just four days after Joe Biden dropped out of the race, Harris issued an unusually sharp public statement immediately after the president’s meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing Israel of killing “too many” Gaza civilians and declaring: “I will not be silent. To everyone calling for a ceasefire and everyone yearning for peace—I see you and I hear you.” She later tried to arrange a meeting with Uncommitted Movement leaders to discuss a possible arms embargo on Israel. Yet in her nomination acceptance speech in Chicago, she tried to balance her message by telling Jewish voters she would stand by Israel’s right to defend itself.
5+That strategy failed at the ballot box. Post-election polls conducted in November by the Council on American-Islamic Relations showed Harris won just 20.3% of American Muslim votes, with the majority preferring Donald Trump or third-party candidates. Michigan Democratic heavyweights like Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and Dearborn’s mayor refused to endorse her.
The immediate catalyst for Harris’s leftward pivot is last week’s New York primary results, which proved the Democratic base is shifting left on Israel. Candidate Drialieza Avila Shebalia, backed by socialists, defeated incumbent Congressman Adriano Espaillat. Meanwhile, Jewish pro-Israel Congressman Dan Goldman lost to former City Comptroller Brad Lander, who previously accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza.
5+Harris understands that to win the 2028 primaries, she must recapture young and progressive voters. She currently leads internal party polls with 27.3% support, followed by California Governor Gavin Newsom (17%), Pete Buttigieg (12.6%), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (11%). Though she hasn’t formally announced her candidacy, she recently told Reverend Al Sharpton: “I may run. I’m thinking about it and will keep you posted.”