Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a rising star in New York City politics, now holding a lead in the Democratic primary for mayor, however, ranked-choice voting is looming before we know who will take the reins at City Hall.
On Tuesday, as he is leading the NYC Mayoral Election, Andrew Cuomo congratulated Zohran, saying, “Tonight was not our night. Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani's night, and he put together a great campaign.”
“He touched young people and he inspired them and moved them, and got them to come out and vote. And he really ran a highly impactful campaign. I called him. I congratulated him. I applaud him sincerely for his effort.”
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Who are Zohran Mamdani's parents?
Zohran was born on 18 October 1991 in Kampala, Uganda, to Professor Mahmood Mamdani, an extremely respected political thinker, and Mira Nair, a renowned Indian-American filmmaker.
His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a Uganda-born Indian scholar, whose works on colonialism, political violence and African history are represented in academia around the world. He has taught at a number of universities, such as Columbia University, and is presently the Director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research in Uganda.
{{/usCountry}}His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a Uganda-born Indian scholar, whose works on colonialism, political violence and African history are represented in academia around the world. He has taught at a number of universities, such as Columbia University, and is presently the Director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research in Uganda.
{{/usCountry}}Zohran’s mother, Mira Nair, is a name familiar to cinephiles worldwide. The Indian-American director is best known for films like Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake, and Queen of Katwe.
After living in Kampala and Cape Town, the Mamdani-Nair household moved to New York City when Zohran was seven years old. It was in NYC that he attended the Bank Street School and later the Bronx High School of Science before going on to study Africana Studies at Bowdoin College.
Notably, Zohran got elected into the State Assembly in 2021 to represent part of Queens.
The rapper turned politician secured endorsement from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, and many others, as he moved into the Mayoral Election.