Mamdani, Zohran

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      Rama Duwaji, Mamdani’s Wife, Is Thrust Into the Spotlight

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      Rama Duwaji, a 27-year-old animator and illustrator, married the presumptive Democratic nominee for New York City mayor this winter.Zohran Mamdani stood before a cheering crowd late Tuesday night at a Long Island City bar, his victory in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City all but guaranteed. His wife, Rama Duwaji, stood at his side, smiling, as he concluded his speech.Many already knew Ms. Duwaji, 27, from the wedding photos that Mr. Mamdani posted to Instagram last month, showing the couple holding hands on the subway and in the streets of downtown Manhattan.Ms. Duwaji is an animator and illustrator whose designs have appeared in The New Yorker, the BBC and The Washington Post, according to her portfolio website. She is ethnically Syrian and was born in Texas, a campaign spokeswoman said, and she holds a master’s degree in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York.Mr. Mamdani, 33, a state assemblyman from Queens, charmed younger New Yorkers throughout his campaign with his videos on social media, in which he speaks Spanish over a plate of sweet plantains, breaks down “halal-flation” while eating chicken over rice at a food cart and poses with celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski and Laverne Cox.Ms. Duwaji has an active social media presence, too, showcasing her work on Instagram to more than 70,000 followers (a number that has grown since Mr. Mamdani surged ahead in the primary). Many of her designs portray Middle Eastern life and champion social justice issues. Like her husband, she is a critic of Israel’s war in Gaza.Ms. Duwaji was not seen publicly throughout much of Mr. Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, prompting his critics to ask on X if he was “hiding” his wife. Mr. Mamdani pushed back in the May Instagram post showing off their wedding photos, declaring that he and Ms. Duwaji had married three months before.“Rama isn’t just my wife; she’s an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms,” Mr. Mamdani said.The couple married in a civil ceremony at the New York City Clerk’s Office. Kara McCurdy“Omg she’s real,” Ms. Duwaji joked in a comment on the post.Theirs was a Hinge success story. Speaking last week on a podcast from The Bulwark, Mr. Mamdani said there was “still hope in those dating apps.”The couple married this winter in a civil ceremony at the New York City Clerk’s Office. Separately, they held an engagement party and a Muslim wedding ceremony known as a nikkah in Dubai, where Ms. Duwaji’s family lives.Early on Tuesday, before the election results had come in and while her husband was still canvassing across the city, Ms. Duwaji posted a carousel of images on Instagram that included a black-and-white photo strip of the two of them, a voter registration form tucked into a heart-shaped box of chocolates and a picture of Mr. Mamdani as a child.“Couldn’t possibly be prouder,” she captioned the post. More

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      Mamdani Wins Nadler’s Endorsement as He Seeks to Unify Democrats

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      Jerrold Nadler, who represents parts of Manhattan in Congress, had previously endorsed one of Zohran Mamdani’s opponents, Scott Stringer, in the Democratic mayoral primary.On the day after Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani emerged as the likely Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, Representative Jerrold Nadler endorsed him in November’s general election, giving Mr. Mamdani a key measure of support from one of the city’s most prominent Jewish leaders.Mr. Nadler, a Democrat, said Wednesday that Mr. Mamdani’s apparent victory was a “seismic election for the Democratic Party that I can only compare to Barack Obama’s in 2008.”“Voters in New York City demanded change and, with Zohran’s triumph, we have a direct repudiation of Donald Trump’s politics of tax cuts and authoritarianism,” he said.During the primary, Mr. Nadler had endorsed another candidate, Scott Stringer, a former city comptroller who appeared on track to finish toward the bottom of the pack.On Wednesday, Mr. Nadler described Mr. Mamdani as “someone who will be a partner with me in Washington to take on Donald Trump.”Mr. Mamdani is an outspoken critic of Israel’s government and its war in Gaza, and was denounced by his main rival, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, and some Jewish voters over his stances.Mr. Mamdani, who would be the city’s first Muslim mayor, has firmly rejected accusations of antisemitism and has responded to the criticism by saying that he would protect Jewish New Yorkers as mayor and would increase funding to address hate crimes.A survey from the Marist Institute for Public Opinion released last week showed that Mr. Cuomo was the first choice of 40 percent of likely Jewish primary voters, while Mr. Mamdani was second, with about 20 percent.Mr. Nadler’s endorsement could help draw more Jewish voters into Mr. Mamdani’s coalition ahead of the general election, especially those on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, which Mr. Nadler has long represented in Congress.“I’ve spoken to him today about his commitment to fighting antisemitism, and we’ll work with all New Yorkers to fight against all bigotry and hate,” Mr. Nadler said of Mr. Mamdani.Mr. Mamdani welcomed the endorsement in a statement, saying the congressman had “charted a course of principled progressivism for decades.”“I’m grateful for his support as we build a broad coalition of all New Yorkers and eager to work in partnership over the months to come,” he said.On Wednesday, Mr. Mamdani was taking a flood of calls from Democratic leaders, and many who had supported other candidates or stayed out of the race expressed admiration for him.One leading New York City Democrat, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the chairwoman of the Brooklyn Democratic Party who has supported both Mr. Cuomo and Mayor Eric Adams, also said that she planned to support Mr. Mamdani in the general election. More

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      5 Takeaways From the New York City Mayoral Primary

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      Here are some of the factors that drove Zohran Mamdani to the cusp of a seismic upset, and how they will affect the general election in November.Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblyman who campaigned relentlessly against New York’s spiraling affordability crisis, was on the verge of a seismic upset in the Democratic primary for mayor on Tuesday, powered by a diverse coalition from brownstone Brooklyn to the immigrant enclaves of Queens.The result was not final. But Mr. Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, declared victory, and Andrew M. Cuomo, his rival and the former governor, conceded defeat.Mr. Mamdani’s success in one of the first major Democratic primaries since President Trump returned to the White House reverberated across the country and offered a potential road map for Democrats searching for a path back to power. The Democratic primary winner would typically be considered the front-runner in November’s general election. Yet this fall’s contest promises to be unusually volatile. It will include Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent. Mr. Cuomo also still has the option of running on a third-party ballot line, though he has not committed to continuing his campaign.Here are five takeaways from the primary:Mamdani’s exuberant optimism attracted disaffected New Yorkers.Mr. Mamdani, with supporters and Councilwoman Carmen De La Rosa, far right, won over voters with his energetic and charismatic style.Shuran Huang for The New York TimesMr. Mamdani, a third-term lawmaker from Queens, entered the race last fall with a thin résumé, virtually no citywide profile and views well to the left of many Democrats. He ended Tuesday as a breakout national figure.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Mamdani Stuns Cuomo in New York Mayoral Primary

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      Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblyman and democratic socialist, had a commanding lead over former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who conceded in the Democratic primary. Zohran Mamdani, a little-known state lawmaker whose progressive platform and campaign trail charisma electrified younger voters, stunned former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City on Tuesday night, building a lead so commanding that Mr. Cuomo conceded.Mr. Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist from Queens, tapped into a current of anxiety around New York City’s growing affordability crisis. His joyful campaign brought new voters into the fold who rejected the scandal-scarred Mr. Cuomo’s ominous characterizations of the city and embraced an economic platform that included everything from free bus service and child care to publicly owned grocery stores.The outcome was not official, and even assuming Mr. Mamdani gains the nomination, he faces an unusually competitive general election in November.Still, Mr. Mamdani declared victory at a rally early Wednesday in Queens, pledging to be a “mayor for every New Yorker” and framing his win as part of a movement powered by volunteers.“Tonight we made history,” he said. “In the words of Nelson Mandela, it always seems impossible until it is done. My friends, we have done it.”The decisiveness of New Yorkers’ swing toward Mr. Mamdani reverberated across the party and the country, at a time when Democrats nationally are searching for an answer to President Trump and are disillusioned with their own leaders.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Democratic Leaders Tried to Crush Zohran Mamdani. They Should Have Been Taking Notes.

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      On Tuesday night, Zohran Mamdani shocked the political establishment. There are lessons that national Democrats should take from his strong showing in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City. But I worry they won’t. Democrats have a curiosity problem, and it’s losing us elections.After Bernie Sanders mounted a formidable challenge to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential primary, precious few Democratic leaders asked what they could learn from it. Two years later, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came out of nowhere to defeat the No. 4-ranking Democrat in the House. They again dismissed it as a fluke.The party establishment’s impulse to stifle and ignore some of its most exciting emerging voices isn’t limited to progressives. Take Chris Deluzio in Pennsylvania or Pat Ryan in New York. While decidedly more moderate than Mr. Mamdani, both congressmen campaigned last fall on bringing down costs for people in their swing districts and taking on huge corporations and billionaires, a strategy Mr. Ryan described as “patriotic populism.” Even though it won them both races, Washington Democrats have been hesitant to embrace that strategy.I saw similar complacency last year while advising Ruben Gallego’s successful Senate campaign in Arizona. Although Mr. Gallego was the only Democratic candidate in the race, we struggled to get buy-in early on from the Washington Democratic establishment. It saw his blunt-spoken style as too risky for Arizona. He went on to outperform Kamala Harris by eight points.If Democratic leaders don’t start asking themselves how these candidates won, and what they can learn from their success, we’ll be doomed to fail in the future.Since their losses last fall, Democrats have obsessed over how to reverse their declining fortunes. By and large, the consensus has been that we need candidates with a sharp economic argument that can connect with young people, men, voters of color and the working class.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      In Joyful Speech, Mamdani Vows to Work for ‘Each and Every New Yorker’

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      A crowd in Queens celebrated the triumph of Zohran Mamdani, the presumptive winner of the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City.Zohran Mamdani, a state lawmaker from Queens, celebrated with his supporters at a party in Long Island City. The result was not final but he declared victory in the primary after former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo conceded the race.Shuran Huang for The New York TimesIn a soaring speech on a Queens rooftop in the early minutes of Wednesday morning, Zohran Mamdani, the presumptive winner of the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City, promised to lift up New York City’s working class and serve as a model for the future of his party.“A life of dignity should not be reserved for a fortunate few,” Mr. Mamdani said. “It should be one that city government guarantees for each and every New Yorker.”He promised to use his power to “stop masked ICE agents from deporting our neighbors,” vowed to make buses “fast and free” and pledged to freeze the rent on regulated units.The crowd of hundreds of his supporters, many of them young, clutched cocktails and beers in cups that dripped with condensation as they roared their approval in the midnight heat.Mr. Mamdani’s apparent victory late Tuesday night represented a sharp rebuke of the Democratic Party establishment and business interests, which largely lined up behind Andrew M. Cuomo, the former governor who resigned in scandal four years ago.By his account, Mr. Mamdani’s apparent triumph was no mere rebuke of a Cuomo campaign that many had described as joyless and lackluster.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      A New Political Star Emerges Out of a Fractured Democratic Party

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      The emergence of Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, is likely to divide national Democrats, who are already torn about what the party should stand for.The national Democratic establishment on Tuesday night struggled to absorb the startling ascent of a democratic socialist in New York City who embraced a progressive economic agenda and diverged from the party’s dominant position on the Middle East.As elections go, Tuesday’s party primary for mayor was a thunderbolt: New York voters turned away from a well-funded familiar face and famous name, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, and in doing so made a generational and ideological break with the party’s mainstream. They turned to a 33-year-old, three-term state assemblyman, Zohran Mamdani, who ran on an optimistic message about affordability and the rising cost of living that has eluded many national Democrats.What became vividly clear on Tuesday, as votes were counted across the racially and economically diverse neighborhoods of New York, was that Mr. Mamdani had generated excitement among some — though not all — of the traditional pillars of winning Democratic voter coalitions.Democratic leaders badly want to win over young voters and minority groups in the coming 2026 and 2028 elections — two groups they have struggled to mobilize since the Obama era — but they also need moderate Democrats and independents who often recoil from far-left positions.“It really represents the excitement that I saw on the streets all throughout the City of New York,” said Letitia James, the New York attorney general. “I haven’t seen this since Barack Obama ran for president of these United States.”That Mr. Mamdani had such success while running on a far-left agenda, including positions that once were politically risky in New York — like describing Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide and calling for new taxes on business — may challenge the boundaries of party orthodoxy and unnerve national Democratic leaders.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Cuomo, Chastened, Will Reassess Plans to Run as an Independent

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      The shape of the mayor’s race in November and the future of Andrew M. Cuomo are now in flux after Zohran Mamdani’s performance on Tuesday.For months, Andrew M. Cuomo insisted he would be on this fall’s general election ballot for mayor of New York City, no matter what — even saying so as recently as Tuesday morning.But after conceding the Democratic primary for mayor on Tuesday night to Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old democratic socialist assemblyman from Queens, Mr. Cuomo’s path forward is no longer as clear.Mr. Cuomo told The New York Times in a phone call shortly after his concession speech that he was still considering whether to run in the general election on an independent line.“I said he won the primary election,” Mr. Cuomo said, referring to Mr. Mamdani. “I said I wanted to look at the numbers and the ranked-choice voting to decide about what to do in the future, because I’m also on an independent line. And that’s the decision, that’s what I was saying. I want to analyze and talk to some colleagues.”In March, after months of equivocation, Mr. Cuomo, 67, announced he would run in the Democratic primary for mayor. From the start, he cast himself as the lone adult with the requisite competence and experience to manage a city that was spiraling out of control. He pointed to his 10-plus years as governor, when he helped legalize same-sex marriage and build the new Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station.But Mr. Cuomo ran what was widely considered a joyless and lackluster campaign, largely limiting his appearances to Black churches, synagogues and union halls, and rarely engaging in the kind of retail politics and ground game necessary to win a heavily contested election.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More