Who is Zohran Mamdani, the staunch socialist primed to become New York’s first Muslim mayor?
For the past four years, New York City has been under the control of former police officer and mayor Eric Adams, a man who’s managed to piss off almost every inhabitant of the big apple. With a dismal approval rating of 28 per cent, the lowest of any New York mayor since 1996, it’s safe to say that the people are ready for a change. And right now, there’s one individual whose engaging social media campaign, and equally engaging wife, has truly captured the hearts and minds of progressive New Yorkers. I’m, of course, talking about Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old state lawmaker and staunch self-described socialist, has been the definition of an underdog during this primary race. Relatively unknown in the political sphere, the Democratic nominee has had a stratospheric few months, leaning into social media trends and quickly becoming Gen Zers’ favourite politics hot boy.
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@subwaytakes Episode 407: I should be the mayor!! Feat @Zohran Mamdani #podcast #subway #hottakes #subwaytakes #interview #nyc
♬ original sound - SubwayTakes
On Tuesday 24 June 2025, Mamdani officially won the New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary—not only securing the first major win the Democrats have had since Donald Trump was re-elected for president, but also paving the way towards potentially becoming the city’s first Muslim mayor.
So, who exactly is Mamdani and why has his progressive policy plan been received so positively? And, more importantly, who is Rama Duwaji, the iconic animator and illustrator who also happens to be the politician’s wife? Let’s get into it.
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Who is Zohran Mamdani?
Zohran Mamdani has been involved in politics and social justice for a very long time. Born in Uganda and raised in New York from the age of seven, the lawmaker attended the Bronx High School of Science before receiving a degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College, where he co-started the school’s first Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, as reported by Sky news.
After becoming a naturalised US citizen in 2018, Mamdani began working as a foreclosure prevention housing counsellor, helping low income families hold onto their homes and avoid eviction. It was this job that ultimately encouraged him to pursue a career in office.
Mamdani was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020, running his campaign under these promises: to “fight to tax the rich, heal the sick, house the poor and build a socialist New York.”
It’s official: we won.
I’m going to Albany to fight to tax the rich, heal the sick, house the poor & build a socialist New York.
But I can’t do it alone. To win socialism, we’ll need a mass movement of the multiracial working class as well.
So let’s build one. Join @nycDSA. pic.twitter.com/kzgplFgIJL
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) November 4, 2020
So, when the mayoral race came about, it came as no shock that the politician would focus his message on similar policies. This time, backed by progressive powerhouse Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC), Mamdani pursued a grassroots campaign, organising thousands of motivated voters and energising the people of New York by focusing on one universal desire: affordability.
Today we make history together. pic.twitter.com/MWkapuTix0
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) June 24, 2025
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The socialist has never shied away from publicising his personal politics, whether it be condemning Israel’s attacks on Gaza and lamenting over the treatment of the Palestinian people or confronting Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan over the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in New York.
Zohran Mamdani, NYC mayoral candidate, says Israel should be a state with equal rights for all — several other candidates on stage could not contain their outrage at the thought. pic.twitter.com/ySqUll3Dib
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) June 5, 2025
3 months ago, Zohran Mamdani confronted Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan — as most Democrats twiddled their thumbs after Mahmoud Khalil was taken.
“How many more New Yorkers will you detain?!”
“Do you believe in the First Amendment?!”
Today, Khalil is freed.pic.twitter.com/lVAc5nGPqd— Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) June 20, 2025
Many publications have noted that Mamdani’s success is likely in connection with the fact that Andrew Cuomo, former Governor of New York who served in that position from 2011 until his resignation in 2021, is still recovering from a rather hefty scandal involving numerous allegations of sexual harassment.
Cuomo conceded on Tuesday night, telling his supporters: “Tonight was not our night. Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won.”
Mamdani’s campaign exemplified what it means to connect with youth audiences, producing a lot of well-edited digital and social content that spoke directly to New Yorkers:
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Grassroots campaigns have a unique and contagious energy. They focus far less on grandstands or flash displays of financial power and far more on allowing constituents to speak their truth and demand authentic and transparent leadership. It also helps that Mamdani used to be a rapper who went by the name Young Cardamom…
Zohran was hot and he talked like a human. Dems need to stop running ugly and annoying GW alums, and start running more bartenders and arsenal fans who used to rap.
— Travis Helwig (@travishelwig) June 25, 2025
And although Mamdani has proved himself to be charismatic and charming in his own right, it’s his wife Rama Duwaji that Gen Z simply can’t seem to get enough of.
Who is Zohran Mamdani’s wife?
Zohran Mamdani is married to Rama Duwaji, an animator and illustrator originally from Damascus, Syria. The couple, who first met on Hinge, got married earlier this year in a civil ceremony.
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Mamdani has always been fiercely grateful for his wife’s support, as well as protective of her. In an Instagram post back in April, the politician wrote: “Three months ago, I married the love of my life, Rama, at the City Clerk’s office. Now, right-wing trolls are trying to make this race—which should be about you—about her. Rama isn’t just my wife, she’s an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms. You can critique my views, but not my family.” Now, that’s hot.
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And if this wasn’t already top tier levels of marriage goals, netizens have also pointed out that the mayoral candidate regularly leaves incredibly sweet, and arguably hilarious, comments underneath Duwaji’s Instagram pics. Supportive king.
Zohran Mamdani leaves comments like this on his wife’s insta pics I cannot 😭😭😭 this is so cute Mashallah. May God bless this couple always pic.twitter.com/dUF52Fpx8H
— Proud Cyber Warrior (@lilmisskhawaja) June 25, 2025
Duwaji is an incredibly talented artist, working with companies such as Spotify, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, BBC, Apple, and the Tate Modern. Aside from her own work, she also creates hand-built ceramics and teaches workshops, as reported by The Independent.
So, Hinge might be the depths of hell for some, but for others it can be the meeting place for two of New York’s coolest residents. Who knew?
