Zohran Kwame Mamdani was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda, moving to New York City with his family at the age of 7. A graduate of the NYC Public School System, he attended the Bronx High School of Science and went on to receive a Bachelor’s Degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College. He became naturalized as an American citizen in 2018. Zohran is proud to be the first South Asian man to serve in the NYS Assembly as well as the first Ugandan and only the third Muslim to ever be a member of the body.

Prior to representing the 36th Assembly District and its neighborhoods of Astoria and Long Island City, Zohran worked as a foreclosure prevention housing counselor, helping low-income homeowners of color across Queens fight off eviction and stay in their homes. It was this job that led him to run for office. Zohran's roots in organizing began in the movement for Palestinian liberation, and he is proud to sponsor the Not On Our Dime! Act to stop New York state charities from funneling tax-exempt money to Israeli war crimes.

Since being elected in 2020, Zohran has fought for working-class New Yorkers in and outside the Legislature. Alongside the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, Zohran organized to secure more than $450 million of debt relief for thousands of taxi drivers across NYC. He led the successful effort to prevent a new fracked gas plant in Astoria and organized Astorians against Con Edison rate hikes. Through the Fix the MTA campaign, Zohran won $35 million for increased service on 10 subway lines, reduced the proposed fare hike, and established a successful fare-free bus pilot across NYC that both increased ridership by more than 30% and reduced assaults on operators by close to 40%.

Zohran is a democratic socialist who believes that the future we deserve is one where housing, energy, and justice are for the many, not just the few.