Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral race this week is being rightly celebrated as a triumph for progressives, immigrants, and Muslims across the country, and a sharp rebuke of American conservatism. Between his grassroots campaign, no-brainer manifesto, and community-driven stance, he’s been a beacon of hope for the left, yet he won a majority vote. But to single straight women—including those outside of America—it’s not just political hope that Mamdani represents.
When Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji move into Gracie Mansion, they will become the highest-profile (and possibly the only) couple in public office to have met on a dating app. Mamdani, now 34, and Duwaji, a 28-year-old artist and illustrator, swiped right on Hinge in 2021 and married earlier this year. Together, they make up a highly enviable, decidedly modern-day power couple—and a hopeful example to counter the prevailing mood of “heteropessimism” and widespread negativity about the possibility of finding love.
At 34, Mamdani is the youngest mayor of New York in over a century, and the first Muslim person ever to take the office. His relationship with Duwaji has featured prominently in his campaign, affirming him as a modern man who gets it—not just the existential struggles that people are grappling with, like how to pay for rent or childcare on stagnant or non-existent salaries, but also the quieter ones, like how to stay optimistic while navigating the dating hellscape. “There is still hope in those dating apps,” Mamdani joked on The Bulwark Podcast earlier this year.
It’s not just that he found love and a lasting relationship on Hinge. It’s that Mamdani represents the kind of man many of us would like to find there ourselves—and had perhaps started to give up on. He’s principled, passionate, at ease with himself, and a seemingly devoted partner. When trolls came for Duwaji during his campaign, Mamdani came to her defence on Instagram: “Rama isn’t just my wife, she’s an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms… You can critique my views but not my family.” And after being asked whether he was “more of a Carrie Bradshaw or a Hannah Horvath,” Mamdani responded: “I’m a Miranda.” (Probably the one you’d be best off marrying, And Just Like That notwithstanding.)
Zohran Mamdani and Rama Duwaji during an election night event at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in the Brooklyn on Tuesday.Photo: Getty Images
