Zohran Mamdani

Zohran Kwame Mamdani (born October 18, 1991) is a Ugandan-American politician, housing counselor, and hip-hop artist. He is the Assemblymember for the 36th district of the New York State Assembly. Mamdani was elected after defeating incumbent Democrat Aravella Simotas in the 2020 primary.[1]

Zohran Mamdani
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 36th district
Assumed office
January 1, 2021
Preceded byAravella Simotas
Personal details
Born (1991-10-18) October 18, 1991
Kampala, Uganda
Political partyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations		Democratic Socialists of America
EducationBowdoin College
Occupationpolitician
WebsiteCampaign website
Official website

Early life and education

Mamdani is the son of academic Mahmood Mamdani, the director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR), and filmmaker Mira Nair.[2] Born and raised in Kampala, Uganda, Mamdani moved to New York City when he was seven.[3] Mamdani graduated from Bowdoin College in 2014 and worked as a foreclosure prevention counselor before running for office.[4] Under the name Mr. Cardamom, Mamdani has released numerous hip-hop songs, most notably "Nani" (2019).[5]

Political career

In 2019, Mamdani announced his campaign for New York State Assembly in the 36th district, which encompasses Astoria and Long Island City in Queens.[6] During the campaign, Mamdani was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America[7] and ran on statewide rent control, fare-free transit, and single-payer healthcare in New York.[8] Mamdani's narrow victory over four-term incumbent Aravella Simotas took almost a month to call.[9]

On January 29, 2021, Mamdani hosted a video for the Gravel Institute discussing the housing crisis in the United States.[10]

References
  1. "Zohran Mamdani Unseats Aravella Simotas In Astoria Assembly Race". Astoria-Long Island City, NY Patch. 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  2. "My son is not a firang, we are desi: Mira Nair". Hindustan Times. 2013-05-16. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  3. "About Zohran Kwame Mamdani". Zohran For Assembly. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  4. "Home Foreclosure Specialist Aims to Take Fight For Housing & Racial Justice from Astoria to Albany". Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  5. Rayner, Alex (2019-05-10). "How Mr Cardamom convinced 85-year-old Madhur Jaffrey to swear". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  6. "NYC Primary Election 2020: Zohran Mamdani Vies For Simotas' Seat". Astoria-Long Island City, NY Patch. 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  7. i_beebe (2020-06-24). "Another big night for the DSA". CSNY. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  8. "Issues". Zohran For Assembly. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  9. "Zohran Mamdani Unseats Aravella Simotas In Astoria Assembly Race". Astoria-Long Island City, NY Patch. 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  10. How Socialists Solved A Housing Crisis. The Gravel Institute. January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021 – via YouTube.


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