New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks to the media during a campaign stop with striking members of Teamsters Local 210 in the Bronx borough of New York, on Monday. Eduardo Munoz/Reuters New York —

Barack Obama pivoted from praise to a warning.

You’ve got the inspiration part down, the former president told Zohran Mamdani , but there’s a lot riding on governing. According to three people familiar with the call, Obama reminded the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor how many would be watching to see if a democratic socialist could pull off running the nation’s largest city, and how many critics would be waiting to pounce if it went wrong.

Values are important, Obama told him, but prioritizing good hires more so.

Obama isn’t the only one concerned. Even fri

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