As Zohran Mamdani made history on Tuesday by winning the New York City mayoral race, the spotlight also turned to the woman by his side—a figure who was largely invisible on the campaign trail but instrumental to his success.
Rama Duwaji, a 28-year-old artist, is now poised to become one of the youngest and most unconventional first ladies in the city’s history.
While she largely eschewed the traditional role of a political spouse, reports indicate Duwaji was a driving force behind the scenes, shaping the viral social media presence and brand identity that propelled her husband’s underdog campaign to a stunning victory.
The ghost on the campaign trail
Throughout the highly watched mayoral race, Rama Duwaji was a ghost. She skipped debates and major campaign appearances, and her social media accounts—primarily dedicated to her art—barely acknowledged her husband’s political journey.
Her only public comment on the race was a simple Instagram post in June after Mamdani’s upset primary win, reading:
Couldn’t possibly be prouder.
According to a source cited by CNN, the couple had discussed the intense scrutiny and loss of privacy that would come with a mayoral run.
Duwaji, who works as a ceramist and illustrator, has repeatedly declined interviews, choosing to remain out of the limelight.
The architect behind the brand
Despite her public absence, Duwaji’s influence on the campaign was profound.
According to a CNN report, she was a key figure in finalizing Mamdani’s brand identity, including the bold iconography and signature font used on his ubiquitous yellow, orange, and blue campaign materials.
Sources also credited her with boosting her husband’s digital presence and serving as a major source of private support.
Mamdani himself has fiercely defended his wife’s privacy.
“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,” he wrote in an Instagram post in May.
An artist with a political voice
Before her husband’s political ascent, Duwaji had already carved out a significant space for herself as a Syrian-American artist and activist.
Her work, which has been featured by global outlets like The New Yorker, The Washington Post, BBC, and Apple, often focuses on identity, resistance, and injustice through a pro-Palestinian lens.
She has been unapologetic about her belief that art is inherently political.
“An artist’s duty as far as I’m concerned is to reflect the times. I believe everyone has a responsibility to speak out against injustice,” she said in a past interview.
“Even creating art as a refuge from the horrors we see is political to me. It’s a reaction to the world around us,” she told the Associated Press.
A modern romance: from Hinge to City Hall
The couple’s love story began on the dating app Hinge, a fact Mamdani has joked about, saying, “There is still hope in those dating apps.”
They married earlier this year in a simple civil ceremony at the New York City Clerk’s Office, an event they marked with a poetic black-and-white photo of themselves on a subway car, surrounded by unbothered commuters.
In his victory speech on Tuesday, after becoming the city’s first Muslim mayor, Mamdani publicly thanked his wife, saying: “There is no one I would rather have by my side in this moment and in every moment.”
As New York awaits its new mayor, it also waits to see what kind of role its fiercely independent and influential new first lady will choose to play.
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