Zohran Mamdani & Wife Rama's Age Gap Is Bigger Than You'd Expect

Zohran Mamdani's historic election win in November 2025 threw him and his family into the spotlight. Interest in Mamdani's wife, Rama Duwaji, skyrocketed, evidenced by the more than 500,000 new Instagram followers she gained in the 48 hours following her husband's victory. The Syrian-American illustrator became an internet sensation overnight, partly thanks to her style. After all, Duwaji is Gen Z, while Mamdani is Millennial.

While there certainly are many other politicians with much more uncomfortable age gaps out there, Mamdani and Duwaji's isn't insignificant. Born in June 1997, Duwaji is nearly six years younger than Mamdani, who was born in October 1991. Their relationship started in 2021 in the most Gen Z way possible. "I met my wife on Hinge, so there is still hope in these dating apps," he laughed on "The Bulwark" podcast in June 2025. Many might consider this a red flag in Mamdani and Duwaji's marriage, but others couldn't have been more excited about this tidbit about their love story.

People flocked to social media platforms to tell their own similar stories inspired by Mamdani and Duwaji. "Met my husband on freaking CRAIGSLIST in 2008. It's a wonder both of us lived to tell this tale. (We are still married, v. happy)," a user shared on Reddit. Others were quick to join in. "I met my husband on Tinder in 2014 and I feel that luck so hard lol," another joked. It looks like the age gap hasn't posed many issues for the couple. 

Social media users would have to dig pretty deep to find evidence that she's married to Zohran Mamdani from her Instagram page. Two days after the elections, she posted an animation of the New York City skyline with the caption, "So proud to be a part of this city." And that was it.

The only other evidence that she had a husband running for mayor came on the day of the Democratic primaries in June 2025. "Couldn't possibly be prouder," she captioned an Instagram carousel featuring Mamdani. Even when Mamdani proved to be a popular contender, his wife largely stayed away from campaign events and interviews. But her low public profile doesn't mean she isn't involved in Mamdani's political trajectory. She knew very well what she was getting into when she married him in February 2025, according to CNN.

Duwaji is said to have helped with Mamdani's highly successful campaign design. Created by the Philadelphia graphic designer Aneesh Bhoopathy, she reportedly helped shape the campaign's brand identity, as well as its font and iconography. However, Mamdani previously showed that he wants to protect Duwaji as much as possible. "You can critique my views, but not my family," he wrote in a May 2025 Instagram post. Whether she will step away from the spotlight like Melania Trump or will embrace her role as first lady of New York City remains to be seen.