Zohran Mamdani
Zohran Kwame Mamdani is an Indian-Ugandan-American politician, housing counselor, and hip-hop artist. He is the Democratic nominee for the 36th district of the New York State Assembly after defeating incumbent Democrat Aravella Simotas in the 2020 primary.Early life and education
Mamdani is the son of academic Mahmood Mamdani, the director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research, and filmmaker Mira Nair. Born and raised in Kampala, Uganda, Mamdani moved to New York City when he was seven. Mamdani graduated from Bowdoin College in 2014 and worked as a foreclosure prevention counselor before running for office. Under the name Mr. Cardamom, Mamdani has released numerous hip-hop songs, most notably "Nani".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. During the campaign, Mamdani was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America and ran on statewide rent control, fare-free transit, and single-payer healthcare in New York. Mamdani's narrow victory over four-term incumbent Aravella Simotas took almost a month to call.
