After his victory in the Democratic primary for mayor on Tuesday night over former governor Andrew Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani thanked his parents and wife, who joined him on the stage to salute his supporters together at a rally in Brooklyn. For many, it may have been their first exposure to the people closest to the assemblymember.
The Mamdani campaign has famously owned the social media space with playful and punchy posts, but they elected to keep the focus on the candidate himself. Mamdani has spoken at various turns about his parents, sharing family anecdotes at public events, while avoiding mentions of his wife almost entirely. Some keyboard warriors even began to baselessly speculate that Mamdani was deliberately hiding his wife from the media, along with two children they supposedly had together. With their first widely viewed public appearance together on Tuesday, the Queens assemblymember’s wife has become a new focus as the general election draws near.
Rama Duwaji, 27, is an illustrator, animator, and ceramicist whose work has appeared in a number of outlets, including Vice, the Washington Post, the BBC, and the New Yorker. According to the Mamdani campaign, she was born in Texas and is ethnically Syrian. Mamdani recently revealed in a podcast interview that they met on the dating app Hinge.
Rama posted a series of photobooth pictures with her and Zohran on Instagram on primary day before Mamdani’s victory was assured, commenting that she “could not possibly be prouder.” Her account, boasting an impressive 100,000 followers, showcases her art, which does not shy away from political engagement. She has called for the release of Mahmoud Khalil through her art posted on the account, and like her husband, Rama is critical of Israel’s ongoing invasion of Gaza.
Zohran had posted their wedding photos last month on social media, commenting: “Rama isn’t just my wife, she’s an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms.” Zohran and Rama married at the City Clerk’s Office three months prior to the post. They also had a wedding ceremony with their loved ones last year in Dubai, where Rama’s family lives.
