A 34-year-old Muslim of Ugandan descent has become the new mayor of New York City.
Thirty-four-year-old Zohran Mamdani has become the new mayor of New York City. He is the youngest mayor in 100 years and the first Muslim to hold the post.
According to the Associated Press, Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani won with more than 50% of the vote. The New York City Elections Commission also noted a record turnout of over 2 million people, the highest since 1969. Interestingly, one of his main rivals was former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was endorsed by Donald Trump. Cuomo only received 40% of the vote.
During the election campaign, Mamdani promised to open municipal stores in every district, make buses free and faster, introduce free preschool education, and freeze rents for 1 million rent-stabilized apartments. He also promised to raise taxes on the wealthy and increase the minimum wage from $16.50 an hour to $30.
Meanwhile, the new New York City mayor is in a tense relationship with US President Donald Trump. Trump previously called Mamdani a "communist fanatic" and dedicated several angry posts to him on Truth Social. He promised not to allocate a dime of federal funds to his initiatives and declared that he would "take New York City under his personal control to restore order." In his victory speech, Zohran directly addressed the president: "If you want to get to any one of us, you're going to have to get through all of us."
Zohran Mamdani was born in Uganda, raised in Cape Town, and moved to New York City with his family at the age of seven. He is of Indian descent. He graduated from the prestigious Bronx High School of Science and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bowdoin College. Before entering politics, Mamdani worked to support people facing eviction. He entered politics in 2015 and, five years later, became a member of the state legislature. Mamdani rose to prominence after his campaign went viral online. He recorded interviews with voters and released videos in various languages about rising housing prices and affordability.
In early 2025, Zohran Mamdani married Syrian-born artist Rama Duwaji. At 28, Duwaji became New York City's youngest First Lady. The future mayor met Rama on a dating platform while still a member of the House. The couple married twice: in New York and Dubai. Rama maintains a blog, teaches ceramics, and posts photos of her work.
Photo: ramaduwaji, zohrankmamdani/Instagram**