It’s Election Day in New York City—and one of the most dramatic mayoral races in years is coming to a head. At 34 years old, Astoria-based Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani has already made history by clinching the Democratic nomination, outpacing former GovernorAndrew Cuomo in the June 2025 primary and energizing a new wave of progressive voters. His platform—focused on rent control, free public transit, and universal childcare—has drawn national attention and positioned him as a bold challenger to the city’s political establishment.
However, Cuomo hasn’t bowed out. Despite conceding the Democratic primary, he confirmed he will remain in the race as an independent under his newly formed “Fight and Deliver” party. His decision has added a dramatic wrinkle to the election, especially now that incumbent Mayor Eric Adams has withdrawn from the 2025 race altogether. The general election will now pits Mamdani against Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, turning what many expected to be a left-versus-right matchup into a high-stakes three-way battle for New York’s future.
So, who is Zohran Mamdani? Hollywood Life has rounded up five facts about him below.
Zohran Mamdani Was Born in Uganda With Indian Descent
Born in Uganda and raised, in part, in Cape Town, South Africa, Zohran’s family moved to New York City when he was 7 years old.
Zohran Mamdani Worked as a Foreclosure Prevention Counselor
Before getting into politics, Zohran worked as a foreclosure prevention and housing counselor in Queens, New York, to assist low-income families and homeowners of color who were facing eviction.
Zohran Mamdani Has Produced Rap Music
While juggling his political and public service career in New York, Zohran has also pursued another passion: rap music! Under several monikers, he’s composed and produced hip-hop songs. In 2016, he went by the name “Young Cardamom” and collaborated with Ugandan rapper HAB on an EP. Three years later, Zohran released a single titled “Nani” under the moniker “Mr. Cardamom.”
Zohran Mamdani Is Married
In early 2025, Zohran married Rama Duwaji, a Syrian artist.
Zohran Mamdani Endorsed His Mayoral Opponent, Brad Lander
During the Democratic primary, Zohran and New York City comptroller Brad Lander aligned themselves as political allies. Both strongly opposed Andrew’s return to city politics and even endorsed one another as part of a joint effort to block his path back to power. Appearing together on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in June 2025, the two spoke about their shared vision for a “more civilized future” in New York politics and vowed to support each other.
The race quickly grew heated in the final weeks before the primary. According to AMNY, Andrew accused Zohran of treating the mayor’s office as “a messenger’s job” and focusing only on “public relations,” while Zohran fired back, charging Andrew with “weaponizing this very real crisis and using billionaire money to spew hate.”
“He and other candidates have used words describing me as a monster as dangerous as being at the gates, language that is more befitting of a beast than a person,” Zohran claimed about Andrew.
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