Rama Duwaji is New York City’s next first lady, thanks to a dating app
When Zohran Mamdani won the mayoralty race in New York City in the 2025 US elections, his wife, illustrator Rama Duwaji, joined him on stage.
"There is no one I would rather have by my side in this moment and in every moment," said the 34-year-old, who's the first Muslim and millennial mayor of the "Big Apple."
But before they were husband and wife, Mamdami and Duwaji, 28, were just two young people swiping left and right on a dating app.
Years before marrying Mamdani in an intimate ceremony at the New York City Hall, Duwaji first met him in 2021 on Hinge, "the dating app designed to be deleted," as the app describes itself on its website.
"There is still hope in those dating apps," Mamdani said during an interview on The Bulwark podcast earlier this year.
In a New York Times article, Mamdani's friends shared that he was "so giddy" about Duwaji early on in their relationship.
Three years later, the two got engaged in October 2024, as Mamdani posted a photo of Duwaji with the caption, "Light of my life" with a ring emoji. A few days later, he also "hard-launched" his bid for NYC mayor.
Not long after, Mamdani and Duwaji exchanged I do's in a civil ceremony February 2025 at New York City Hall—a building he "absolutely loved."
"The outside is just so beautiful and reminiscent of a different New York City, and the inside is in many ways public goods personified. All of these New Yorkers getting married at the same time at different ages and at different times in their lives, it's very beautiful," he told Interview Magazine in April.
Protective husband
Duwaji has not been immune to online trolls, especially during her husband’s mayoral campaign. In May, as online trolls attacked her for her pro-Palestinian stance, Mamdani stood by his wife by posting a series of photos showing photos on their wedding day, including a shot of the two traveling by subway to city hall in their wedding outfits.
"If you take a look at Twitter today, or any day for that matter, you know how vicious politics can be. I usually brush it off, whether it’s death threats or calls for me to be deported. But it’s different when it’s about those you love," Mamdani wrote in the caption.
"Three months ago, I married the love of my life, Rama, at the City Clerk’s office. Now, right-wing trolls are trying to make this race—which should be about you—about her. Rama isn’t just my wife, she’s an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms. You can critique my views, but not my family," he added.
Who is Rama Duwaji?
On her own, Duwaji is an illustrator born to Syrian parents from Damascus. She studied communication arts at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts and moved to New York in 2021 to study at the School of Visual Arts. Three years later, she earned a Master of Fine Arts.
Her works, which have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the BBC, and more, focus on social justice in the Middle East and women's rights.
In August, Duwaji posted an animation piece calling for an end to the Palestinian genocide. One part of the piece showed a quote from Palestinian journalist Anas Alsharif: “I urge you to not let chains silence you or borders hold you back.”
Earlier, in June, Duwaji posted a black-and-white illustration of two women standing back-to-back with their arms linked and fists clenched. In the caption, she wrote, “We keep us safe,” referencing the immigration raids done by US Immigration group ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
Another animated artwork shows a young girl carrying an empty pot with the words "Not a hunger crisis" on the front. The next frame shows multiple people each carrying a pot bearing the message, "It is deliberate starvation."
A democratic socialist, Mamdani is expected to energize progressives and bring renewed hope to the democratic left.
