Ugandan-born Zohran Mamdani, 34, has made history as the first Muslim mayor and youngest person in over a century to lead the US’s largest city New York after defeating independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Before his election, Mamdani served as a New York State Assembly member and identifies as a democratic socialist.
Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, to Mahmood Mamdani and Mira Nair. The family immigrated to South Africa when he was five years old and then to the United States when he was seven, settling in New York City.
He attended the Bronx High School of Science and later earned a degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College, where he co-founded the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.
Mamdani and his wife, 27-year-old Brooklyn-based Syrian artist Rama Duwaji, met on the dating app Hinge.
His mother, Mira Nair, is a celebrated film director and his father Professor Mahmood Mamdani, teaches at Columbia. Both parents are Harvard alumni. Before entering politics, he worked as a housing counsellor, helping low-income homeowners in Queens fight eviction.
Part of what made Mamdani so successful was that younger voters saw how authentic he was on social media, Jane Hall, communications professor at American University told one media house.
“You don’t have to be young to be able to do it, but I think you have to be seen as being authentic and speaking to what people care about in a way that is hip and makes people want to be on the bandwagon,” Hall said.
His critics have argued that Mamdani does not have enough experience to effectively lead the largest US city. Trump has tried to paint him as radical, repeatedly calling him a communist, though Mamdani has frequently denied this.
The president also has threatened to withhold federal funds from the Mamdani administration. On Tuesday night, as he declared victory, Mamdani addressed the president directly:
“Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up. To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.” Trump promptly posted on social media: “…AND SO IT BEGINS!”
Image: EAMG News
