What to know about Zohran Mamdani’s wife Rama Duwaji
After Zohran Mamdani He successfully completed his historic bid for mayor of the country’s largest city on Tuesday night, his wife Rama Duwaji joining him on stage.
In his speech, Mamdani thanked Duwaji saying, “There is no one I would rather have by my side at this moment and every moment.”
On January 1, 2026, Duwaji will become the first lady of New York City, after her husband is sworn in as first muslim and first Mayor of South Asia, as well as the city’s first mayor. African-born mayor.
Read on for everything you need to know about New York City’s next first lady.
Who is the next first lady of New York City, Rama Duwaji?
Duwaji is a 28-year-old Syrian artist. According to their websiteHis work can be seen primarily in digital spaces and has appeared in publications such as The New Yorker and The Washington Post.
In an April interview with THATDuwaji described his art as born from passion.
“These days, I focus on making art about my experiences and the things that matter to me, and the community that forms from conversations about my work, both online and in person, happens organically,” he told the outlet. “I do my work for people who care about the things I care about.”
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani celebrates with his wife Rama Duwaji during an election night event in Brooklyn, New York, on November 4, 2025.
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Duwaji is ethnically Syrian and was born in Texas and moved to Dubai around the age of 9. according to the New York Times.
Duwaji graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. She has held artist residencies in Lebanon and France, and moved to New York City in 2021. She earned her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 2024.
Duwaji publicly supported her husband during his mayoral campaign.
On the day of the New York City mayoral primary, June 24, Duwaji posted an Instagram photo from a series of photo booth snaps with Mamdani, along with the caption, “couldn’t be more proud.”
When did Rama Duwaji and Zohran Mamdani get married?
In October 2024, Mamdani shared a photo of his now wife on Instagram, wearing what appeared to be an engagement ring.
“Light of my life. 💍 #nasa #hardlaunch,” he wrote in the caption.
Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks with his wife Rama Duwaji after winning the 2025 New York City mayoral race, at an election night rally in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, November 4, 2025.
Jeenah Luna/Reuters
In a later Instagram post from May 2025, Mamdani shared that he and his wife had gotten married three months earlier.
“Three months ago, I married the love of my life, Rama, in the City Clerk’s office,” she wrote in the caption of the post, sharing several photos from the couple’s wedding, including a few snaps of them on the New York City subway.
in an interview on “The Bulwark’s FYPod with Tim Miller & Cameron Kasky,” Mamdani shared that he and his wife met on a dating app.
“I met my wife on Hinge, so there’s still hope on those dating apps,” he said.
What has Zohran Mamdani said about his wife Rama Duwaji?
In his Instagram post from May, Mamdani spoke about his wife and addressed what he described as political attacks against her.
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani celebrates with his wife Rama Duwaji during an election night event in Brooklyn, New York, on November 4, 2025.
Angelina Katsanis/AFP via Getty Images
“Now, right-wing trolls are trying to make this race, which should be about you, be about her,” he wrote.
He continued: “Rama is not just my wife, she is an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms. You can criticize my views, but not my family.”
ABC News’ Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.
