Rabat – Zohran Mamdani and his wife, artist and illustrator Rama Duwaji, first connected on Hinge in 2021, where a swipe right sparked a relationship that led to marriage.

Since then, they have emerged as one of the city’s most closely watched power couples, combining careers in politics and the arts.

Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, is a Syrian-American illustrator, animator, and ceramicist who was born in Texas and spent part of her childhood in Dubai. 

He was so taken by her profile that he screenshotted it before she had even matched back.

“I think I was in love from the moment I saw her photo,” Mamdani later

in an interview with Complex.

Once they started talking, their connection grew quickly. According to Mamdani, it only took a few dates for him to realize he wanted a future with her. 

He described himself as a romantic who tends to imagine the years and decades ahead with someone early on, and Duwaji, it seems, was worth the leap.

A Quiet wedding, a very public life

Mamdani and Duwaji were in a low-key civil ceremony at the New York City Clerk’s office in early 2025. 

The wedding was remarkably low-key, attended only by the couple and a close friend who documented the day behind the lens.

For the occasion, Duwaji reportedly chose a white gown styled with boots, carrying a bouquet as the couple took the subway from their Astoria, Queens, home to City Hall in Manhattan.

Duwaji has built her own career independent of her husband’s politics. 

Duwaji earned a Master of Fine Arts in Illustration from New York’s School of Visual Arts, building a career that blends striking visual storytelling with themes of displacement, diaspora, identity, and sisterhood. 

Her distinctive artistic style has earned recognition across editorial, cultural, and commercial spaces.

Her illustrations have appeared in The New Yorker and The Washington Post, while her client portfolio includes collaborations with major global brands and institutions such as Apple, Spotify, the BBC, and Tate Modern, cementing her reputation as one of the most sought-after contemporary illustrators of her generation.

From Hinge to Gracie Mansion

Mamdani went on to win the general election and was sworn in as mayor of New York City in January 2026, meaning the couple’s Hinge match in 2021 led, in under five years, from a nervous opening message about dessert to Duwaji becoming the city’s First Lady.

For a couple whose story began with a swipe, Mamdani and Duwaji have become something of a modern proof of concept that a downloaded app, a well-timed message, and a bit of nerve really can lead somewhere lasting.