Mamdani's Wife, Absent for Much of Campaign, Is Thrust Into Spotlight

New York Times

3 days ago

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.
'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.