Zohran Mamdani, a socialist, surprised many by securing a win in the Democratic primary for New York City’s mayoral race this week, and in the process, his wife unexpectedly caught the public’s eye.

Rama Duwaji, Mamdani’s wife and an illustrator, kept a low profile throughout her husband’s social media-focused campaign but joined him on stage to celebrate his victory on Tuesday night, suddenly drawing attention.

Throughout Mamdani’s intense primary battle against former Governor Andrew Cuomo, some critics claimed he was ‘concealing his wife from NYC,’ adding another layer of intrigue to his campaign.

But Duwaji was all smiles as she marked her husband’s victory on stage, and wrote on Instagram that she ‘couldn’t possibly be prouder’ of him as he shocked his establishment opponent. 

Mamdani, who met his wife on the dating app Hinge, lovingly addressed Duwaji in front of his crowd on Tuesday, saying ‘Rama, thank you’ as he kissed her hand. 

The potential future First Lady of the Big Apple says on her Instagram bio that she is ‘from Damascus’, however a Mamdani campaign spokesperson told the New York Times that she was actually born in Texas. 

She is best known for her illustrations and animations, many of which are pro-Palestine themed and criticize Israel and the Trump administration. 

Duwaji’s artwork has appeared in numerous galleries including London’s Tate Modern, and has been included in news outlets including the New Yorker, the BBC and the Washington Post. 

As his wife’s lack of presence on the campaign trail became a source of ammunition for his opponents, Mamdani took on his critics with an Instagram post of his own. 

‘If you take a look at Twitter today, or any day for that matter, you know how vicious politics can be,’ Mamdani wrote alongside images from their civil ceremony. 

‘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.

‘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 added: ‘You can critique my views, but not my family… (Rama) isn’t just my wife, she’s an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms.’ 

Among Duwaji’s recent artworks shared to her Instagram include calls to release previously detained Columbia student and pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was locked up by the Trump administration for months without being charged with a crime before he was freed last week. 

In May, she also shared an animation condemning Israel’s treatment of civilians in Gaza, which showed a woman holding a bowl that read ‘it’s not a hunger crisis… it is deliberate starvation.’ 

Duwaji’s thrust into the limelight comes as her husband rapidly rose to national prominence with his surprise victory this week. 

The 33-year-old has faced mounting questions about his experience since he gained traction and ultimately won the Democratic primary, with his only public service work coming as a state assemblyman.

In the state assembly, Mamdani promoted few bills, and his legislative record includes co-sponsoring bills requiring prisons to house inmates based on their self-declared gender, preventing law enforcement from asking about a perp’s immigration status, and forcing small businesses to make their product packaging eco-friendly.

Critics have said a Mamdani win will see the Big Apple slide back into the type of permissive lawlessness that scarred the city during the COVID crisis, but which woke locals and lawmakers scoffed at.

When asked by Good Morning America this week about his lack of experience, Mamdani avoided talking about his record and turned the question back on his recent run for mayor.

‘The experience that I show in this moment is to be able to meet the crisis that New Yorkers are facing, and deliver them a new kind of city,’ he said.

‘One that is unencumbered by the old ways.’ 

Mamdani has described himself as ‘Trump’s worst nightmare’, and his far-left policy platform sharply divided the nation as he gained traction in the mayor’s race.

He says he wants to raise taxes on the top one percent of New York earners – something the mayor does not have the authority to do – and make a number of city services free including childcare and buses.

The city assemblyman has also proposed spending $65 million on transgender care, freezing rent on rent-stabilized apartments, and creating city-owned grocery stores.

He has also advocated for defunding the city’s police department, defended pro- Palestine slogans like ‘globalize the intifada’ – which critics say is an anti-Semitic call for the destruction of Israel – and said he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.