How Rama Duwaji, Zohran Mamdani's Wife, Devised A Winning Campaign

While Zohran Mamdani captured national attention with his historic New York City mayoral win, his wife Rama Duwaji quietly played a major role behind the scenes. The 28-year-old artist, who has largely avoided the spotlight, is credited with shaping the Democratic socialist's distinctive campaign identity and social media presence even as she remained nearly invisible on the trail.

Duwaji, a Dallas-raised and Dubai-educated Syrian-American who moved to New York only four years ago, helped design Mamdani's campaign's logos and overall aesthetic, including the bold yellow, orange and blue branding that became synonymous with his grassroots movement, according to a CNN report.

She was absent from debates and campaign events leading up to election day and rarely posted about the race online. Her only election-related social media post came in June, after Mamdani's surprise primary victory, when she wrote on Instagram, “Couldn't possibly be prouder.”

Duwaji was by Mamdani's side when he cast his primary vote earlier on Tuesday and later joined him for his appearance on The Daily Show. She was also spotted among more than 10,000 supporters at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, watching from the crowd as Mamdani delivered his final rally speech alongside Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders, per CNN.

Duwaji and Mamdani met on the dating app Hinge in 2021, soon after Mamdani's election to the New York State Assembly. Their first date was at Qahwah House, a Yemeni cafe in Brooklyn, followed by a walk through McCarren Park. On their second date, he showed her around his home in Queens.

They got engaged in October 2024, days before Mamdani launched his mayoral campaign. After celebrating in Dubai last December, they married in a simple courthouse ceremony in Lower Manhattan in February, posing for photos on the green couches of the marriage bureau.

Duwaji's social media feeds are filled with her ceramic and illustration work, including several pieces expressing solidarity with Palestine. Her friends have spoken fondly about her growing public fascination. “She's our modern-day Princess Diana,” said Hasnain Bhatti, a close friend, in an interview with The New York Times last month.

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