BBC: At 28, Rama Duwaji will be the youngest first lady New York City has ever had - thrust into the spotlight as her husband Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral race on Tuesday night.
And in his victory speech, the mayor-elect had a special shoutout for his wife standing beside him.
"And to my incredible wife, Rama, hayati," he said, using the Arabic word for "my life". "There is no one I would rather have by my side in this moment, and in every moment."
Duwaji is a New York-based artist with Syrian roots whose work often explores Middle Eastern themes. Her work has appeared on BBC News, and in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vice and London's Tate Modern museum.
"Rama isn't just my wife; she's an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms," Mamdani wrote in a post on 12 May, announcing they had been married three months earlier.
"Omg she's real," Duwaji joked in a comment on that post.
The couple met on dating app Hinge, "so there is still hope in those dating apps," Mamdani said in an interview with The Bulwark. » | Max Matza | BBC News | Thursday, June 26, 2025. Updated: Wednesday, November 5, 2025