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Mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani has gone from backbencher in the state Legislature to being on the verge of leading the Big Apple in a matter of months after a dominating campaign.
The 33-year-old Queens assemblyman clinched the Democratic mayoral nomination after wiping out a series of establishment pols – including ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo – in the June primary.
The proud socialist is now polling ahead of his foes in the Nov. 4 election, leading up to the two debates in the general race set for Oct. 16 and Oct. 22.
Here’s what you need to know about the insurgent candidate whose far-left positions have some watchers breaking out in sweat.
What to know about his upbringing and family
Mamdani was born in Uganda – a nation in east Africa – and moved to the Upper West Side with his parents when he was around 7 years old.
His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a Columbia University professor and his mother, Mira Nair, is a famed filmmaker.
A practicing Muslim of South Asian descent, Mamdani holds dual US-Uganda citizenship. He became a naturalized American citizen in 2018.
What to know about his education
Mamdani attended the posh Bank Street School for Children, a private K-8 school before earning a diploma from the prestigious Bronx High School of Science, one of nine specialized high schools run by the city Department of Education.
He graduated in 2014 from Bowdoin College, a liberal arts school in Maine, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Africana Studies. He co-founded the school’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.
Mamdani faced heat earlier this year when it emerged that he had checked both Asian and African-American when applying to Columbia university, which did not accept him.
What to know about his career prior to running for NYC mayor
Mamdani doesn’t have a long resume — but it does include a surprising rap career.
His brief stint as rapper Young Cardamom and Mr. Cardamom includes releasing a single, “Nani,” in 2019 and working as a music supervisor on a 2016 Disney movie, “Queen of Katwe,” directed by his mom.
He worked as a foreclosure prevention counselor with a Queens advocacy group before getting more involved in politics. He was campaign manager for Ross Barkan’s failed 2018 bid for state Senate and field organizer the following year for Tiffany Cabán in the Queens district attorney race.
Mamdani was elected to the state Legislature in 2020, repping the 36th Assembly District that includes Astoria and Ditmars-Steinway in Queens. He won re-election in 2022 and 2024.
What to know about his wife
Mamdani wooed his artist wife Rama Duwaji, 28, after the two met on the dating app Hinge in 2021, according to the New York Times.
New York City’s possible future first lady was born in Texas and is of Syrian descent, the Times reported. She is an animator and illustrator whose works were recently published in New York Magazine.
The couple tied the knot in a civil ceremony in February and held an extravagant wedding celebration in Uganda in July. They live in Astoria, Queens.
What to know about his political views and campaign promises
The card-carrying Democratic Socialist of America member holds various left-wing positions and his campaign has been focused on affordability.
Mamdani has called himself a democratic socialist, which, according to the national DSA organization, is someone who “fights for reforms today that will weaken the power of corporations and increase the power of working people within a capitalist society.”
What is his campaign platform?
Mamdani’s platform includes pledges to provide free buses, universal childcare and city-run grocery stores.
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He has proposed paying for his estimated $10 billion plans by raising taxes on the wealthiest individuals and corporations, but he would need the green light from Albany lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul.
What has he said about defunding the police?
In the past, Mamdani called to “defund” the NYPD. As he launched his mayoral campaign, he backed off that controversial position.
His public safety platform includes creating a new Department of Community Safety with outreach workers responding to mental health and other non-violent calls instead of the NYPD.
While he slammed the NYPD during the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, Mamdani ultimately issued an apology to cops on Wednesday.
What has he said about rising antisemitism and Israel and Gaza?
Mamdani has faced heat for his stance on the war between Israel and Hamas that started after the terror group attacked the Jewish state on Oct. 7, 2023.
He has repeatedly accused Israel of a genocide and war crimes, and said that, as mayor, he would order the NYPD to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he came to New York City.
He also doesn’t believe criticism of Israel equates with antisemitism – in contrast with the Eric Adams administration.
What has he said about billionaires and white neighborhoods?
Mamdani’s platform on his website states he would jack up property taxes on “richer and whiter neighborhoods,” though he has insisted his proposal is not driven by race and instead on inequalities between areas.
He has said he doesn’t think billionaires should exist.
What has he said about NYC rent?
Mamdani’s wants to freeze rent for the approximately 2.4 million New Yorkers who live in rent-stabilized apartments.
In order to do that, he would need the nine-member Rent Guidelines Board, all of whom are appointed by the mayor, to be in agreement with his thinking.
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