In his upcoming memoir, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick amended his stance on voting and voiced support for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
In 2016, the same year he took a knee in protest during the national anthem, the former quarterback stated that he didn’t vote in the presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
“You know, I think it would be hypocritical of me to vote,” Kaepernick told reporters in November 2016. “I said from the beginning I was against oppression, I was against the system of oppression. I’m not going to show support for that system. And to me, the oppressor isn’t going to allow you to vote your way out of your oppression.”
Colin Kaepernick speaks onstage during The Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction 2026 at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 19, 2026, in New York City. (Getty Images for The Gordon Parks Foundation)
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Kaepernick described Trump as “openly racist” and criticized Clinton for using the term “super predators” when defending the 1994 crime bill signed by her husband, President Bill Clinton.
But in his new memoir, “The Perilous Fight,” Kaepernick called his decision not to participate in electoral politics “irresponsible.”
“The realization coming out of the 2016 election is how significant the implications can be of not voting, even if you don’t fully think this candidate represents you, and I’ve seen that,” Kaepernick told NBC News. “We’ve seen it with the Supreme Court. We’ve seen it with federal judges.”
“Part of trying to seek the best way for us to move forward and have impact is also realizing the moments where the intention of the perspective was right, but the strategy behind it actually wasn’t,” he added.
Zohran Mamdani attends an event at the National Action Network House of Justice in Harlem, Manhattan, New York, United States on June 28, 2025. (Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Kaepernick said he eventually voted for Democrat candidates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections.
When asked which current-day politicians he finds inspiring, Kaepernick named Mamdani, the 34-year-old socialist,
“When we talk about leaders that are moving the needle right now, I think we’re seeing real impact coming out of Mamdani,” Kaepernick told NBC.
“It is very refreshing for a lot of people to see someone in a political role saying, ‘I am prioritizing the people’s needs. I’m going to hold people accountable to that, and we are just going to execute and deliver on this over and over again.’”
San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Eli Harold (58), quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) and free safety Eric Reid (35) kneel in protest during the playing of the national anthem before a NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium on Oct. 6, 2016. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
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He added that Mamdani’s style of governance could inspire more people to engage in politics.
“Ultimately, I think a lot of those people who are out there that say, ‘Hey, this doesn’t represent me, I’m not voting, or I don’t feel great about the politicians out there,’ it’s because they aren’t seeing people move in that way. The more that we see that come, we’ll see more and more people involved and excited about what is happening in the political sphere.”
Honestly, it was a toss-up whether Kaepernick would name Mamdani or Jasmine Crockett as his favorite. We thought he might lean Crockett.
