The leading candidate in New York City's mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani, shares more than just political ambition with the former US president whose eloquence and intellect once captivated the nation—Barack Obama. At just 34, Mamdani, a first-term New York State Assembly member from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), has surged to the top of the polls after a fellow freshman legislator, Kenny Burgos, turned to him during a quiet moment in Albany and said the words that would help launch his campaign.
Born in Kampala, Uganda, Mamdani moved with his family to South Africa at the age of five. By seven, they had settled in New York City—a place he now hopes to lead.
