New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani sent a brief text and spoke by phone with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on July 11, according to records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times and reporting by Reuters.
The text, shown in the records, read, "Hi Mayor Johnson, this is Zohran Mamdani. I just called, looking forward to chatting," the Sun-Times reported. Reuters said the two spoke for about six minutes that day. A representative for Mamdani told The Post the call was Johnson congratulating Mamdani on his primary victory; a Johnson campaign representative told the Sun-Times the call was to congratulate Mamdani and wish him luck. Both camps said the conversation did not include a discussion of an endorsement.
The exchange drew attention because Johnson, who took office in 2023, has faced sustained criticism in Chicago from editorial boards and some voters over his progressive agenda and the city’s fiscal and operational challenges. The Wall Street Journal editorial board has sharply criticized Johnson, and the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board in June urged New Yorkers to consider Chicago’s experience before electing a democratic socialist, saying Johnson’s approval rating fell sharply as progressive promises collided with governance and budget realities.
Those editorials have compared policy ideas championed by Johnson — including proposals such as rent freezes, expanded city services and free transit pilot programs — to positions advocated by Mamdani, who has campaigned on progressive reforms in New York. The Tribune editorial said some measures that "sounded good in theory" had led to dysfunction in Chicago, while the Journal’s editorial pages have used Johnson’s tenure to warn of perceived risks in electing a more left-leaning mayor.
Local reporting has also captured voter dissatisfaction in Chicago. The Sun-Times quoted voters who said they regretted supporting Johnson; one former backer, Cata Truss, told local reporters she regretted her vote and urged New Yorkers to "do your homework" before electing officials with similar platforms.
Mamdani, a Queens assemblyman who won the Democratic primary earlier this year, has framed his campaign around expanding affordable housing, workers' rights, and public services. His platform includes policy proposals that, while popular with some progressive constituencies, have also provoked debate about fiscal feasibility and administrative capacity in large cities.
Johnson, a former organizer and progressive Democrat, has defended his agenda and disputed some critics’ assessments, while city officials have navigated budget shortfalls and operational pressures facing Chicago. Johnson’s supporters say his policies aim to address long-standing inequities and public-safety and service gaps, while opponents cite the city’s fiscal headwinds as evidence of mismanagement.
The brief communications between the two politicians add to public interest in how progressive leaders across major U.S. cities interact and whether those relationships translate into policy coordination or endorsements. Both campaigns have characterized the July exchange as cordial and limited in scope, with no follow-up announcement of support.
As New York moves toward its November mayoral election, Mamdani’s association with progressive figures nationwide is likely to remain a topic of scrutiny among voters and editorial pages that compare municipal outcomes across major cities.
