By Former Vice President Kamala Harris is reaching out to some of the Democratic Party’s most prominent anti-Israel voices as she attempts to rebuild her national standing ahead of a possible 2028 presidential campaign.
Harris has contacted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other progressive figures who have been sharply critical of Israel and U.S. support for the country, Axios reported. The outreach comes as left-wing candidates continue gaining ground in Democratic primaries and as Harris leads early polling for the next Democratic presidential nomination.
The former vice president spoke with Mamdani after last week’s New York City primaries, where candidates backed by democratic socialists and other left-wing groups defeated several establishment Democrats. The conversation reportedly focused on the future of the party.
According to the report, Harris initiated the discussion as part of an effort to reconnect with younger and more progressive voters after her 2024 loss. She also congratulated Mamdani on the success of candidates he had endorsed.
Mamdani confirmed the call Wednesday during an appearance on SiriusXM’s “The Clay Cane Show.”
“The vice president reached out to have a conversation, and we’ve had a brief conversation,” he said. “We’ve been in touch over the last few months, and I really do appreciate her outreach.”
The move marks another attempt by Harris to navigate a problem that dogged Democrats throughout the 2024 campaign: the party’s growing divide over Israel, Gaza and the influence of pro-Palestinian activists in key states such as Michigan.
Harris also reached out to Abbas Alawieh, a co-founder of the Uncommitted Movement, which organized opposition to President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign over his support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Alawieh said Harris called him more than once and later met with him in Detroit.
“In my first call with VP Harris, I shared with her that several community members in the Michigan State Senate district I’m running to represent have had family recently killed in Israeli airstrikes with support from our American government, and that my 91-year-old grandmother’s home was destroyed as well,” Alawieh said.
I’m proud to be fighting every day on behalf of Senate District 2 families. As State Senator, I’ll always speak up to ensure the concerns of our communities are heard.
Recently, I met with Vice President Kamala Harris in Detroit. The meeting came after months of conversations… https://t.co/0AYMqwDvZ1
— Abbas Alawieh (@abbasformi) July 1, 2026
“When I met with her last week, I reiterated what has long been my position: American tax dollars must never be used to target civilians and destroy entire communities,” he continued.
Alawieh then tied the issue directly to Democratic electoral politics in Michigan, a battleground state that helped decide the 2024 race.
“Every Democrat knows how important Michigan is to defeating Trumpism,” Alawieh added. “As a Michigan Democratic candidate for State Senate District 2, I urge VP Harris and all of our party’s leaders to side 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.”
Harris also spoke with James Zogby, a longtime Palestinian activist and Democratic National Committee member, according to the report.
The outreach underscores the political bind Harris faced in 2024 and may face again if she runs in 2028. During the last campaign, she tried to appeal to pro-Israel voters while also signaling sympathy for activists demanding a ceasefire.
Four days after Biden ended his re-election bid, Harris said Israel had killed “far too many” civilians and declared, “I will not be silent.” She later told ceasefire supporters, “To everyone who has been calling for a ceasefire, and to everyone who yearns for peace, I see you and I hear you.”
But Harris also told voters at the Democratic National Convention and elsewhere that she would “stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself.”
The balancing act did not solve the party’s problem with Muslim and Arab-American voters. A Council on American-Islamic Relations exit survey from November found that Harris received just 20.3 percent of the Muslim-American vote in the 2024 general election, while President Donald Trump made gains with the group compared with Biden’s 2020 performance.
Harris also entered 2024 carrying another liability: her history of left-wing positions. Republicans repeatedly portrayed her as a hard-left liberal, and even some mainstream outlets criticized her economic agenda during the campaign.
Now, however, Harris appears to be leaning into parts of the progressive coalition as she weighs a political comeback.
The latest RealClearPolitics national average for the 2028 Democratic primary shows Harris leading the field with 27.3 percent support. California Gov. Gavin Newsom follows at 17 percent, with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 12.6 percent and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 11 percent.
Harris has not announced a 2028 campaign. In April, she told Rev. Al Sharpton at the National Action Network conference, “I might. I’m thinking about it. I’ll keep you posted.”
Representatives for Harris and Mamdani did not respond to requests for comment.
The conversations come as the Democratic Party continues to move left in key primaries, with anti-Israel activists and candidates gaining new influence inside the coalition. For Harris, the outreach may be an early sign that any 2028 campaign would not merely revisit the tensions of 2024, but embrace some of the activists who helped expose them.
[Read More: McConnell Health Revealed]
