Meet Zohran Mamdani: Young progressive poised to be NYC’s first Muslim mayor

Zohran Kwame Mamdani has emerged as the Democratic Party’s candidate for mayor of New York City this fall, securing a decisive victory over former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the June 23 primary.

At just 33 years old, Mamdani’s landslide win places him on track to become the city’s first Muslim mayor, a historic milestone for the nation’s largest city, as detailed by Anadolu Agency’s coverage of his career.

Currently serving as a state assemblyman representing Queens’ 36th district, Mamdani has been in office since 2021 and has rapidly risen as a progressive voice within New York politics.

Speaking to a jubilant crowd shortly after Cuomo’s unexpected concession, Mamdani declared, “Tonight, we made history. We have won because New Yorkers have stood up for a city they can afford, a city where they can do more than just struggle, where those who toil in the night can enjoy the fruits of their labour in the day, where hard work is repaid with a stable life.”

Mamdani’s story is as compelling as his political ascent. Born in Kampala, Uganda, in 1991 to Indian-origin parents, he spent his early childhood in Cape Town, South Africa, before moving to New York at the age of seven. His mother, Mira Nair, is an Oscar-nominated Indian American filmmaker, while his father, Mahmood Mamdani, is an Indian-born Ugandan academic currently teaching at Columbia University.

Educated at the Bronx High School of Science and later earning a degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College in Maine, Mamdani became a U.S. citizen only in 2018, and swiftly transitioned into politics, winning election to the State Assembly in 2020. He is married to Rama Duwaji, a Syrian artist based in Brooklyn.

Politically, Mamdani identifies as a democratic socialist, advocating progressive policies that resonate strongly with New York’s working-class residents. His legislative focus includes transportation improvements, housing reform, and clean energy initiatives.

On his campaign website, Mamdani outlines his commitment to lowering the cost of living in the city, with an immediate plan to freeze rent for all stabilised tenants and leverage every resource to build affordable housing.

He also promises to eliminate fares on every city bus, paired with infrastructure improvements such as dedicated bus lanes and measures to reduce traffic delays caused by double parking.

Further reflecting his focus on family support, Mamdani has pledged to provide free childcare for every New Yorker between six weeks and five years old, ensuring access to quality programs for all families.

To tackle food insecurity and rising living costs, he intends to establish a network of city-owned grocery stores aimed at keeping prices low. His ambitious housing plan includes the construction of 200,000 permanently affordable, union-built, rent-stabilised homes over the next decade.

Mamdani’s progressive platform has earned endorsements from groups and figures supportive of Palestinian causes, including the pro-Palestinian Jewish Voice for Peace Action and Senator Bernie Sanders.

The upcoming mayoral election on November 4 looms as a critical moment for New York, a city that, while leaning Democratic, has previously elected Republican mayors such as Michael Bloomberg, who later became an independent.

By Tamilla Hasanova