Zohran Mamdani has won everyone’s hearts over, becoming the newly elected mayor of New York City, and now the talk of the town is none other than his wife, Rama Duwaji. An animator and illustrator, Duwaji married Mamdani earlier this year, who will become NYC’s youngest mayor since 1892, its first Muslim mayor, and also its first mayor born in Africa (via CNN and BBC).
Born in Houston and living in Texas until her family moved to Dubai when she was 9, Rama Duwaji is of Syrian descent. She briefly attended the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar before transferring to the school’s Richmond campus to complete her degree in Bachelor of Fine Arts. Now in her late 20s, she also holds a master’s degree in Illustration as a Visual Essay from the School of Visual Arts in New York.
A post shared by Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@zohrankmamdani)
Her illustrations, which have appeared in The Cut, the BBC, Vogue, and even The New Yorker, often explore Arab culture and focus on social justice, particularly women’s rights, as she curates art based on her own experiences and the issues she cares about. She has been vocal about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and has created numerous artworks about the Gaza genocide, along with artwork supporting the victims of the Sudanese Civil War (see Instagram).
Yet, Duwaji doesn’t seem to be playing the traditional role of a first lady of New York City—a role she will assume from January 1, 2026, the date from which Zohran Mamdani will assume office. Neither has she stumped for her husband, nor has she done a joint television appearance with him or even agreed to an eye-catching magazine profile.
A post shared by RAMA DUWAJI (@ramaduwaji)
Nonetheless, she did post Mamdani on the day of the June Democratic primary, through a carousel of photos on Instagram that showed the couple together, a photo of herself voting early, and also a photo of her husband as a boy. She captioned the post, “Couldn’t possibly be prouder.” Plus, she also helped finalize the campaign’s brand identity and worked on the final version of her husband’s campaign’s iconography and font.
Not to mention, as compared to other first spouses who choose to keep their more debatable opinions to themselves, Rama Duwaji lets her political views speak loudly through her art. And Mamdani, for one, seems to encourage her for the same, considering his words (via Instagram):
Rama isn’t just my wife, she’s an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms.
Guess these two have a lot more history to make!
A Look at Zohran Mamdaniʼs Family and Roots
Zohran Mamdani was born on October 18, 1991, in Kampala, Uganda, and is the only child of postcolonialism academic Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair, who ties him to Hollywood as well. His middle name is Kwame, given to him by his father in honor of Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana (via Intelligencer).
His parents are of Indian descent, with his mother being a Punjabi Hindi born in Rourkela and raised in Bhubaneswar, and his father being a Gujarati Muslim born in Bombay and raised primarily in Uganda. While his paternal grandparents were born in present-day Tanzania and his father’s family was part of the Indian diaspora in Southeast Africa, his maternal grandmother, Praveen Nair, was a social worker & founder of the Salaam Baalak Trust (via Inter-Asia Cultural Studies).
Mamdani, now 34, spent his early years in Kampala until the age of 5, before moving to Cape Town in South Africa’s Western Cape province. He moved to the United States and had settled in New York City by the time he was seven years old, and was raised in Morningside Heights (see the New York Times).
Throughout his school and college life, Zohran Mamdani was an active politician, running in mock elections for different positions, including vice president. He co-founded the school’s first cricket team during his tenure at the Bronx High School of Science in Kingsbridge Heights, and also co-founded Bowdoin College’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine in Brunswick, Maine (see CNBC and The Bowdoin Orient).
Additionally, before running for office, he worked as a foreclosure prevention and housing counselor, assisting lower-income immigrant homeowners in Queens with eviction notices and efforts to remain in their homes (via The Indypendant).
All About Zohran Mamdaniʼs Personal Life
Zohran Mamdani holds dual citizenship, being a citizen of both Uganda and the United States, the latter of which he was naturalized in 2018 (via The New York Times). The politician identifies with the Twelver branch and is a Shia Muslim (see Jacobin).
Talking about how he met his wife, Rama Duwaji: The two met on Hinge in 2021, and a few years later, got engaged in October 2024. Soon after announcing their engagement, Mamdani launched his campaign for mayor. In December, they celebrated their engagement in Dubai, holding a private nikah ceremony. Then, in February 2025, they tied the knot through a civil ceremony at New York City Hall. The couple currently resides in Astoria, Queens (via CNN).
Another intriguing fact about Mamdani is that he can speak four other languages with varying degrees of proficiency: Hindi-Urdu, Bengali, Spanish, and even Arabic.
Political Positions and Stances of Zohran Mamdani
For those who might not know, Zohran Mamdani launched his campaign to represent New York’s 36th State Assembly district in October 2019, which encompasses Astoria and Long Island City. He was endorsed by the DSA and defeated incumbent Aravella Simotas in the 2020 Democratic primary, ending up elected unopposed in the general election (via NBC).
Then, in 2022 and 2024 as well, he was reelected without opposition, and became a key member of the DSA’s nine-member “State Socialists in Office” bloc and the Muslim Democratic Club of New York. Mamdani served on nine committees as an Assembly member, which included Aging, Cities, Energy, Election Law, and Real Property Taxation. Not to mention, he was also active in multiple task forces and legislative caucuses representing diverse communities (via assembly.state.ny.us).
By May 2025, Mamdani had already successfully sponsored 20 bills, three of which were enacted into law, and even co-sponsored 238 bills (via AM New York Metro).
Then, in 2024, he announced his mayoral bid on October 23, running as a Democrat. He emerged victorious in the July 1, 2025, election, which was widely regarded as a major political upset (via PBS News). In fact, in response to his rise, President Donald Trump even threatened in early November to cut federal funding for New York City if Mamdani were elected (via Al Jazeera). And yet, Mamdani was elected mayor on November 4, 2025.
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Looking at his political stances and positions over the years, Zohran Mamdani’s campaign platform is often compared to policies that were once pursued by former New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. His politics are also classified as center-left on the global spectrum, which is unusual for the U.S., where politics largely lean right after the 1950s Red Scare and 1990s neoliberal pivot.
While misinformation spread during the 2025 New York mayoral race, labeling his policies as “radical” or “communist,” political scientists view them as mainstream center-left policies by global standards, in other developed democracies (via Deutsche Welle). Mamdani also identifies as a democratic socialist and is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). He is also often described as a progressive.
Through his economic policies, Mamdani has advocated for debt relief for taxi medallion owners, stronger rent control, expanded tenant rights, and the creation of a Social Housing Development Agency to build 200,000 affordable homes in ten years. He has also called for a raise in NYC’s minimum wage to $30 by 2030, expanding taxes on corporations and the wealthy to fund tuition-free CUNY/SUNY, universal childcare, and free public transit (see Bloomberg).
Additionally, he supports a city-run grocery pilot to lower food prices and opposes billionaires, calling for property tax reform that cuts taxes for outer-borough homeowners and increases them for high-value properties in wealthier areas (via The Daily Telegraph).
Here’s a look at Zohran Mamdani’s foreign policy as well:
Zohran Mamdani has taken a stance on social issues, supporting Proposal 1, a 2024 amendment to the Constitution of New York that bans discrimination on grounds including sex, gender identity, pregnancy, and reproductive autonomy. He opposes wealth inequality and racism, and advocates for the New York Health Act for statewide single-payer healthcare (via WNBC and City & State NY).
When it comes to his perspective on crimes and policing, Mamdani has argued that economic stability and social investment reduce crime more effectively than policing alone. He has also proposed a Department of Community Safety, which is a civilian-led alternative focusing on mental health outreach and violence prevention (see WABC-TV and The New York Times).
While he initially supported “defunding” the NYPD in 2020, Mamdani later emphasized collaboration with police for violent crime while integrating social workers (via Jacobin). He also apologized in 2025 for calling the NYPD racist and condemned all political violence, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk (via POLITICO and The Atlantic).
Additionally, Zohran Mamdani has framed climate action as a social justice issue, opposing the expansion of a gas-fired plant in Astoria while backing the All-Electric Buildings Act and congestion pricing. He proposed the Green Schools for a Healthier NYC plan, retrofitting 500 schools with solar roofs, building 500 green schoolyards, and converting 50 schools into climate-resilience hubs (via City Limits and The New York Times).
Zohran Mamdani Loves Harry Potter, but Stopped Mom from Directing Sequel for Another Movie
Apart from this, Mamdani has also shared his opinions on childcare and education, supporting universal pre-kindergarten and providing new families with “baby baskets.” He has proposed ending property tax exemptions for NYU and Columbia to redirect funds to CUNY, and has promised to protect Hasidic yeshivas from state interference, pledging to listen to community leaders (via Jacobin and Forward).
Talking about immigration, Mamdani upholds New York’s sanctuary city laws, barring ICE from entering public buildings without warrants, and has also condemned ICE’s actions as “fascist” while proposing legal representation for all detained immigrants. He has also publicly confronted ICE director Tom Homan over free speech violations (see The Hill and The Guardian).
Zohran Mamdani also supports LGBTQ+ rights and aims to make New York City an LGBTQ+ sanctuary city and establish an Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs. He has opposed federal efforts restricting gender-affirming care, pledging $65 million to maintain access through public providers (via Gay City News).
Mamdani has voiced his support for permanently eliminating bus fares as well, instead advocating for fare-free buses and authoring the “Fix the MTA” bill series, proposing a phased four-borough rollout. He also supports congestion pricing and weight-based vehicle fees to reduce traffic emissions and increase road safety (via The City).
Zohran Mamdani Has Also Been Involved in Music Making
Apart from all his involvement in politics, Zohran Mamdani has also been involved in music making during his 20s. A fan of hip-hop, he has composed and produced rap music. In 2016, under the moniker Young Cardamom, he even had a collab with Ugandan rapper HAB on an EP titled Sidda Mukyaalo, which is Luganda for “No going back to the village” (per Pulse Uganda).
Both he and HAB first started working together in 2015, with their first song being Kanda [Chap Chap], about chapati, which is an Indian food that has been adopted as a Ugandan staple. Both of them rap in both English and Luganda. He has also credited Ugandan producer Hannz Tactiq, who not only provided the beat and would “record, mix & master” for them, but also, in whose studio the duo worked until late at night.
Per Africa Is a Country, Mamdani said,
[The] lyrics and choice of language are rebuttals of what Ugandan society expects of us—that someone with some South Sudanese roots is forever ‘Nubi’ and that Indian Ugandans are actually just Indians in Uganda.
Then, in 2019, he also released his single Nani under the moniker Mr. Cardamom, paying homage to his maternal grandmother, whom he described as “a source of joy, wisdom, and love” (see Rolling Stone). Plus, the star has also curated and produced the soundtrack for his mother Mira Nair’s 2016 film, Queen of Katwe.
As the film’s supervisor, he even earned a nomination in the 2017 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards. Not to mention, Mamdani was also the film’s third assistant director, and was also credited for playing a minor role as a “Bookie Student,” so that’s another notable accomplishment added to his resume.
To sum it up, Zohran Mamdani has proven himself to be a multifaceted individual, genuinely interested in focusing on economic equity and public welfare. Now that he has even been elected as the newest mayor of New York City after entering the race last year with little to no name recognition, it remains to be seen how Mamdani, notable in many ways, ends up fulfilling all his promises and continues to make everyone happy.
What do you think about all this? Got some of your own thoughts or opinions to share about this? If yes, then make sure to let us know in the comment section below!
Zohran Mamdani is set to assume office on January 1, 2026, as the Mayor-elect of New York City, succeeding Eric Adams.
