From Kampala to City Hall: how Zohran Mamdani, the Ugandan-born socialist, became New York’s next big hope

Zohran Kwame Mamdani’s path to the brink of becoming New York City’s first Muslim and Indian-origin mayor began far from Manhattan’s glass towers. Born in Kampala to renowned Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani and acclaimed Indian filmmaker Mira Nair, Mamdani, now 33, moved to New York at age seven — an immigrant story that now echoes in every corner of his insurgent, grassroots campaign.

Last week, the son of an African intellectual giant and a Bollywood pioneer delivered a stunning blow to political orthodoxy by defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary. Once polling at just 1 percent, Mamdani now stands poised to become the Democratic nominee for mayor of the United States’ largest — and arguably most complex — city.

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A son of Kampala and Astoria

Mamdani’s story defies every neat political label. A Democratic Socialist, a devout Muslim, and a housing organiser before he entered politics, he has always worn his roots with pride. His Africana Studies degree from Bowdoin College was less about credentials and more about grounding his politics in histories of struggle and solidarity.

“My politics come from a place of never forgetting where you come from,” Mamdani once said. “From Kampala to Queens, you see how injustice replicates itself — and how communities fight back.”

Zohran Mamdani with his parents Mahmood Mamdani (R) and Mira Nair (L) and wife Rama Duwaji (C)

The radical who listens

In the state assembly, representing Astoria, Queens since 2020, Mamdani earned a reputation for tackling tough fights: from tenant protections to free buses. His disarming honesty — and willingness to be called a radical — has turned him into a hero for New Yorkers fed up with status quo politics.

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He once told The New York Times, “If fighting against existing evils is radical, I am content with the name.” That conviction has attracted nearly 50,000 volunteers and record-breaking small-dollar donations — an army of believers who see themselves reflected in his immigrant, unapologetic identity.

The Gaza flashpoint and moral clarity

No campaign issue tested Mamdani’s resolve more than the war in Gaza. While critics slammed him for calling Israel’s assault “genocide” and backing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, Mamdani stood firm.

When asked if he would greet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York, he replied: “I would have Netanyahu arrested if he came to New York.”

His stance has brought both Islamophobic threats and fervent support from young voters disillusioned by Democratic leaders’ equivocations. “There is no room for anti-Semitism in this city or country,” he has repeatedly stated. “My critique is of governments, not people.”

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Policies rooted in working-class life

Beyond foreign policy, Mamdani’s vision for New York is unapologetically ambitious. He wants all city buses to be free by 2027. He’s pledged a sweeping rent freeze, a Social Housing Development Agency to build permanently affordable homes, and municipally owned grocery stores in each borough. His plan also promises universal childcare, expanded free school meals — even for city colleges — and major tax reforms targeting corporations and ultra-wealthy residents.

Underpinning it all is a simple promise: the wealthiest city in America should work for the many, not the few.

A new voice for a generation

Mamdani’s meteoric rise is more than a personal victory. To young voters like Harris Krizmanich, who watched Mamdani’s campaign videos on repeat before knocking on doors for him, it’s proof that authenticity and moral clarity still matter.

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“He humanises people who feel invisible,” Krizmanich said. “He listens. He makes you believe change is possible.”

As votes rolled in last week, Mamdani invoked Nelson Mandela’s words: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Now, with November’s election in sight, one thing seems clear: the son of Kampala may be here to stay — and New York City may never be the same again.