Zohran Mamdani Encyclopedia Britannica

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 15, 2025, 8:10 AM

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City in 2025. He is a democratic socialist focusing on making the city more affordable. He had previously served as a New York State Assembly member representing Queens. Zohran Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, in 1991. His mother is filmmaker Mira Nair, and his father is anthropologist Mahmood Mamdani.

Zohran Mamdani moved to New York City at age seven and attended Bowdoin College, earning a degree in Africana studies. Zohran Mamdani focused on affordability, advocating for freezing rents, making public buses fast and fare-free, and opening a city-owned grocery store in each borough as a pilot program. Zohran Mamdani faced criticism for his views on Israel and Palestine, particularly for not condemning the slogan “Globalize the intifada.” He supports Israel as a state with equal rights and emphasizes his commitment to... Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s campaign to run the biggest city in the United States revolved largely around one simple fact: It costs too much to live in New York. But Mamdani, who will be the city’s first Muslim mayor and its youngest in more than a century, has attracted a lot of attention for his positions on issues that don’t necessarily seem to...

Here’s a look at Mamdani’s sometimes-evolving positions on five key issues. New York City is home to more Jews than any city outside Israel, and so Mamdani made a point on election night to address the Jewish population, saying: And we will build a City Hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of antisemitism. Zohran Kwame Mamdani[c] (born October 18, 1991) is an American politician who is the mayor-elect of New York City. A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, he is set to become New York's first Muslim and Asian American mayor. Mamdani has served as a member of the New York State Assembly for the 36th district since 2021, representing the Queens neighborhood of Astoria.

Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, to academic Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair. After spending three years in Cape Town, South Africa, when Mamdani was five to seven years old, his family moved to the United States, settling in New York City. Mamdani graduated from the Bronx High School of Science before receiving a bachelor's degree with a major in Africana studies from Bowdoin College in 2014. After working as a housing counselor and musician, Mamdani entered local New York City politics as a campaign manager for Khader El-Yateem and Ross Barkan. He was first elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020, defeating five-term incumbent Aravella Simotas in the Democratic primary. Representing Astoria and Long Island City, he was reelected without opposition in 2022 and 2024.

In October 2024, Mamdani announced his candidacy for mayor of New York City in the 2025 election. He campaigned on an affordability-focused platform supporting fare-free city buses, universal public child care, city-owned grocery stores, a rent freeze on rent-stabilized units, additional affordable housing units, and a $30 minimum wage by 2030. He also expressed support for LGBTQ rights, comprehensive public safety reform, and tax increases on corporations and those earning above $1 million annually. He won the Democratic primary in June 2025, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo in an upset, and was elected mayor in the November general election. Zohran Kwame Mamdani was born on October 18, 1991, in Kampala, Uganda, the only child of postcolonialist academic Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair.[12][13] He was given his middle name, Kwame, by his father... (born 1991).

American politician Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City in 2025. Once a relatively little-known member of the New York State Assembly, he shocked the political world when he defeated former New York governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary race in June. Mamdani went on to triumph in the November general election, again defeating Cuomo (who was running as an independent). When Mamdani takes office on January 1, 2026, he will become the city’s first Muslim mayor as well as its first Indian American mayor. Zohran Kwame Mamdani was born on October 18, 1991, in Kampala, Uganda. His mother, acclaimed film director Mira Nair, and father, anthropologist Mahmood Mamdani, met in 1989 while she was in Kampala doing research for her film Mississippi Masala (1991).

Both Nair and Mahmood Mamdani were Indian-born, but he had grown up in Uganda. When Zohran Mamdani was seven years old, he moved with his family to New York City, where his father became a professor at Columbia University. After graduating from the Bronx High School of Science in 2010, Mamdani attended Bowdoin College in Maine. There he cofounded a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. This student-led organization advocates for Palestinian rights and for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Mamdani received a degree in Africana studies in 2014.

After college, Mamdani worked briefly for Change Corps, a training program for community organizers. He later served as a counselor, helping residents in the New York City borough of Queens who were at risk of losing their homes. That experience, along with his work on political campaigns, inspired him to run for public office. In 2020 Mamdani was elected as a Democrat to represent parts of Queens in the New York State Assembly, the lower house of the state legislature. He was one of a number of candidates elected that year who were affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, a political and activist organization. (Democratic socialists seek to create a more equal and just society by advocating for a socialist economy that is democratically run.) Mamdani twice won reelection.

Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman, is set to be the Democratic candidate for New York City Mayor, making history as the first Muslim nominee. With 95% of ballots counted, Mamdani leads former governor Andrew Cuomo - who resigned that post after sexual harassment allegations in 2021 - 43% to 36% in the Democratic primary, propelled by a wave... "Tonight, we made history," Mamdani told supporters. "I will be your Democratic nominee for the mayor of New York City." New York's ranked-choice voting system means the final result could still evolve, but Mamdani's lead and momentum appear decisive. His victory over Cuomo - once a dominant figure in state politics - marks a watershed moment for progressives and signals a shift in the city's political centre of gravity.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani (born October 18, 1991) is an American politician and the mayor-elect of New York City.[4] He has been a member of the New York State Assembly for the 36th district since... He is a member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America. In 2024, Mamdani announced his candidacy for Mayor of New York City in the 2025 mayoral election. Mamdani will be New York's first Muslim mayor.[5] His campaign was supported by progressive activists and leaders such as U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.[6]

In June 2025, Mamdani won the Democratic nomination, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo in an upset victory.[7] Mamdani was elected mayor on November 4, 2025. He will be the city’s youngest mayor since 1892, as well as the city’s first Indian American and Muslim mayor.[8][9][10] Zohran Kwame Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, into a family of Indian descent.[11] When he was five, Mamdani and his family moved to Cape Town, South Africa.[11] His family moved to New York... Zohran Mamdani reacts as he walks on stage to speak at a mayoral election night watch party, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in New York.

(AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani tries to talk to pedestrians while surrounded by reporters in New York, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Zohran Mamdani speaks after winning the mayoral election, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in New York.

(AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, right, walks off the stage with his mother, Mira Nair, second from right, his wife Rama Duwaji, and father Mahmood Mamdani, after making his acceptance speech at election night watch party,... 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani talks with Rita Bellevue as she waits at a bus stop in New York, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.

Zohran Mamdani Encyclopedia Britannica

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