Zohran Mamdani isn't your typical mayoral candidate. For starters, he’s the son of a legendary filmmaker. But instead of walking red carpets, he’s knocking on doors in Queens, fighting housing battles, and launching a mayoral campaign that feels like a Gen Z fever dream.
With bold, subversive ideas, TikTok tactics, and small-dollar donor energy, Mamdani is shaking up NYC politics as the city gears up for its mayoral election in November 2025. And yes, he’s even going head-to-head with big names like Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor who resigned in 2021 amid controversy but remains a heavyweight in the state’s political scene.
Here are a few things to know about NYC’s millennial maverick:
1. He's the son of a critically acclaimed director and a Ugandan academic—born in Kampala, raised in NYC, now eyeing City Hall.
2. NYC-raised, Bowdoin-educated, and already organizing in college—Zohran didn’t wait to get political.
3. His middle name, Kwame, was chosen to honour Ghana’s former President.
4. Zohran helped stop evictions and secured major debt relief for NYC taxi drivers.
5. He was the first South Asian elected to NY Assembly.
6. He moonlighted as rapper Mr. Cardamom.
Zohran moonlighted as a rapper under the name Mr. Cardamom, and in 2019, he dropped a track called “Nani” starring the legendary Madhur Jaffrey as his grandma. The video? Pure gold. That same energy now fuels his viral, social-first campaign style.
7. His campaign vibes are straight out of Bollywood with iconic Deewar and SRK moments. And yes, he's speaking in Hindi.
Zohran’s campaign is practically a movie trailer playing off Desi nostalgia: he mashed up the iconic Amitabh Bachchan “mere paas…” scene from Deewar, struck Shah Rukh Khan’s signature pose, and even dropped the phrase “roti, kapda aur makaan” from the 1974 Manoj Kumar film to hammer home his affordability message.
8. Zohran’s plan? Free buses, rent freezes, and going after rich universities.
Free buses, free childcare (from 6 weeks old), rent freezes, public grocery stores, and taxing Columbia/NYU? His campaign reads like a wishlist for broke New Yorkers.
9. Small donors powered him to $8 million before he stopped fundraising.
He raised over $642K in 80 days—mostly from small donors—and ended up with $8 million total before deciding to stop fundraising altogether.
10. He also took a chilly plunge into the freezing Coney Island waters to protest rent hikes. Yes, there's a video. Yes, it has 800k+ views.
11. AOC’s all in on team Zohran.
Love him or not—or maybe you’re just here for that viral icy plunge video—Zohran Mamdani is switching up NYC mayor race vibes.
