Politics Random, Random

[ti-amie]

[ti-amie]

Mamdani’s Wife, Absent for Much of Campaign, Is Thrust Into Spotlight
Rama Duwaji, a 27-year-old animator and illustrator, married the presumptive Democratic nominee for New York City mayor this winter.


“Rama isn’t just my wife; she’s an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms,” Zohran Mamdani said on social media last month.Credit...Shuran Huang for The New York Times

By Taylor Robinson

June 25, 2025, 4:31 p.m. ET

Zohran Mamdani stood before a cheering crowd late Tuesday night at a Long Island City bar, his victory in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City all but guaranteed. His wife, Rama Duwaji, stood at his side, smiling, as he concluded his speech.

Many already knew Ms. Duwaji, 27, from the wedding photos that Mr. Mamdani posted to Instagram last month, showing the couple holding hands on the subway and in the streets of downtown Manhattan.

Ms. Duwaji is an animator and illustrator whose designs have appeared in The New Yorker, the BBC and The Washington Post, according to her portfolio website. She is ethnically Syrian and was born in Texas, a campaign spokeswoman said, and she holds a master’s degree in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York.

Mr. Mamdani, 33, a state assemblyman from Queens, charmed younger New Yorkers throughout his campaign with his videos on social media, in which he speaks Spanish over a plate of sweet plantains, breaks down “halal-flation” while eating chicken over rice at a food cart and poses with celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski and Laverne Cox.

Ms. Duwaji has an active social media presence, too, showcasing her work on Instagram to more than 70,000 followers (a number that has grown since Mr. Mamdani surged ahead in the primary). Many of her designs portray Middle Eastern life and champion social justice issues. Like her husband, she is a critic of Israel’s war in Gaza.

Ms. Duwaji was not seen publicly throughout much of Mr. Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, prompting his critics to ask on X if he was “hiding” his wife. Mr. Mamdani pushed back in the May Instagram post showing off their wedding photos, declaring that he and Ms. Duwaji had married three months before.

“Rama isn’t just my wife; she’s an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms,” Mr. Mamdani said.


The couple married in a civil ceremony at the New York City Clerk’s Office. Credit...Kara McCurdy

“Omg she’s real,” Ms. Duwaji joked in a comment on the post.

Theirs was a Hinge success story. Speaking last week on a podcast from The Bulwark, Mr. Mamdani said there was “still hope in those dating apps.”

The couple married this winter in a civil ceremony at the New York City Clerk’s Office. Separately, they held an engagement party and a Muslim wedding ceremony known as a nikkah in Dubai, where Ms. Duwaji’s family lives.

Early on Tuesday, before the election results had come in and while her husband was still canvassing across the city, Ms. Duwaji posted a carousel of images on Instagram that included a black-and-white photo strip of the two of them, a voter registration form tucked into a heart-shaped box of chocolates and a picture of Mr. Mamdani as a child.

“Couldn’t possibly be prouder,” she captioned the post.


https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/nyre ... -wife.html

[ponchi101]

...

It's an upset as Cuomo was leading significantly in the polls.

The key takeaways for me in this primary:
- Populism wins, no qualifications or practical policy proposals needed
- Once again, a capable black woman just can't win any significant political election
- Fewer than a million people voted, counting early voting, from an estimated 8.5M of legal known residents.
- Cuomo certainly didn't lose because of the secual harrassment allegations. Two (!) of the major candidates had a history of sexual harrassment allegations.


Cuomo and Eric Adams both running in the general eleciton will be amusing.

Expand, please. I am interested.

[ti-amie]

A totally sane, rational approach to the ranked choice primary in NYC by the local GOP.

https://newrepublic.com/post/197279/mag ... an-mamdani

[ti-amie]

I debated where to post this because while it is both national and world news (the world is right now)
I think when all is said and done this is political.

MSM (NYT, WaPo) is just summarizing and saying that he held a briefing. I'm surprised this is still up. the sanewashing continues.

[ti-amie]

She's a Democrat from upstate NY and has generally flown under the radar until now.

[ti-amie]

...

It's an upset as Cuomo was leading significantly in the polls.

The key takeaways for me in this primary:
- Populism wins, no qualifications or practical policy proposals needed
- Once again, a capable black woman just can't win any significant political election
- Fewer than a million people voted, counting early voting, from an estimated 8.5M of legal known residents.
- Cuomo certainly didn't lose because of the secual harrassment allegations. Two (!) of the major candidates had a history of sexual harrassment allegations.


Cuomo and Eric Adams both running in the general eleciton will be amusing.

Expand, please. I am interested.

MMMM8 can explain for herself but this is how I take her statement.

1. Adams and Cuomo both running will take votes away from Mamdani and we'll end up with Mayor Sliwa. Mamdani did not do well in the Bronx and Staten Island. Staten Island is the most Republican of the five boroughs so his not doing well there is no surprise. The Bronx political machine is run by African Americans, Caribbean Americans (English speaking), Puerto Ricans and Dominicans. From the NY Times map going from memory I don't think he carried very many neighborhoods there. Again a lot of that had to do with the weather and the older voters staying home.

2. Mamdani's slogans sound great. If he manages to win in November he's going to run into the brick wall of the real estate industry among other entrenched interests in NYC who will make his life, and that of NY'ers a living hell. Don't forget Tiny didn't flesh out any of his slogans and now those who went for the okey doke are having their faces eaten by leopards.

Again this is how I interpret MMMM8's points.

[ti-amie]

This is hilarious, and true although there's an Italian Wakanda on Staten Island.

Dan O’Sullivan
‪@osullyville.bsky.social‬

Follow
Andrew Cuomo returns now to Italian Wakanda, a fabled land where NYPD officers can have in ground pools at their houses while magically evading the requirement they live in NY city limits

[ti-amie]

Why does the WaPo editorial board need to weigh in on this?

Editorial Board
Zohran Mamdani’s victory is bad for New York and the Democratic Party
New York cannot take its greatness for granted. Mismanagement can ruin it.

June 26, 2025 at 7:45 a.m. EDT Today at 7:45 a.m. EDT

Zohran Mamdani, the charismatic 33-year-old who is now the front-runner to be the next mayor of New York, might seem like a breath of fresh air for a Democratic Party struggling to move past its aging establishment. In fact, New Yorkers should be worried that he would lead Gotham back to the bad old days of civic dysfunction, and Democrats should fear that he will discredit their next generation of party leaders, almost all of whom are better than this democratic socialist.

The conversation moves fast. Keep up with the Prompt newsletter.
Adept at social media and voter mobilization, Mamdani claimed the most first-pick votes in the New York Democratic mayoral primary as the leading alternative to Andrew M. Cuomo. The contest became a referendum on the disgraced ex-governor as he sought a comeback four years after resigning amid allegations of sexual harassment. Cuomo, a throwback to a bygone era of machine politics, should have stayed retired instead of clearing the field of potentially more appealing center-left candidates — and opening the way for Mamdani to nab disillusioned voters.

Now, a man who believes that capitalism is “theft” is in line to lead the country’s biggest city and the world’s financial capital. His signature ideas are “city-owned grocery stores,” no bus fares, freezing rent on 1 million regulated apartments and increasing the minimum wage to $30 an hour. No doubt these might strike some voters as tempting ideas. But, as with so many proposals from America’s far left, the trade-offs would hurt the people they are supposed to help.

Such a massive minimum wage would depress low-skilled employment. His rent freeze would reduce the housing supply and decrease its quality. Cutting bus fares would leave a transit funding hole that, unless somehow filled, would erode service. Meanwhile, the grocery business operates on thin margins, and his plan for city-run stores would probably lead to fewer options, poor service and shortages, as privately run stores closed rather than try to compete with city-subsidized shops.

Mamdani previously called for defunding and dismantling the police and, even though he has toned that down, he still opposes hiring more officers.

The candidate does acknowledge that his costly policies will require higher taxes, even in a city where taxes are already hefty. He wants to impose a 2 percent annual wealth tax on the richest 1 percent of New Yorkers and increase the state’s corporate tax rate from 7.25 percent to 11.5 percent. The Big Apple already suffers from capital flight. Hedge funds and others with means have relocated to more business-friendly climates, such as Florida. Mamdani’s tax plans would spur a corporate exodus and drive more rich people out of town, undermining the tax base and making existing services harder to maintain.

New York already endured a version of this in the 1970s. The city experienced a humiliating fiscal crisis, as its government promised overgenerous public services even as its tax base fled. Decades of reform and better governance revived New York, creating once again a dynamic hub of business and culture where many people want to live.

New York cannot take for granted its premier status among world cities. No mighty metropolis can. History is full of stories of great concentrations of people and wealth that decayed due to misfortune or misrule. In recent times, the world has seen Hong Kong’s sad decline despite its once-unmatched status in East Asia.

And while New York’s assets and challenges are very different, its leaders must still manage them with policies that sustain vibrancy and growth, rather than ones that assume prosperity. Many New Yorkers rationalized voting for Mamdani by noting the city council and the state government would constrain him. Let’s hope he is allowed to do damage only on the margins.

Should Mamdani become mayor, Democrats such as New York Gov. Kathy Hochul can lead the way in containing him, not least so he does not define their party. Their gubernatorial nominees in Virginia and New Jersey, Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill, respectively, would be much better representatives of a Democratic brand that still needs to buff out the rough edges of its left wing.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... socialism/

[skatingfan]

Why does the WaPo editorial board need to weigh in on this?

Editorial Board
Zohran Mamdani’s victory is bad for New York and the Democratic Party
New York cannot take its greatness for granted. Mismanagement can ruin it.

[ti-amie]

Wow

[ti-amie]

How Bollywood, Cabs and MetroCards Led to Zohran Mamdani’s Winning Visual Campaign
The New York mayoral candidate — who shocked the establishment by triumphing in the Democratic primary — broke all the rules with his run's striking visual identity.

By Seth Abramovitch
June 26, 2025 1:44pm


Zohran Mamdani speaks to supporters during an election night gathering at The Greats of Craft LIC on June 24, 2025 in New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Royal blue, cranberry red and marigold yellow: New York City was awash in the stuff in the run-up to the Tuesday Democratic mayoral primary. They were the colors of Zohran Mamdani‘s out-of-the-box visual campaign, the centerpiece of which is a bold treatment of the 33-year-old candidate’s first name, incorporating an unconventional serifed font and drop shadow effect.

If you guessed the inspiration for that logo (or “mark” as it’s called in the biz) came from vintage Bollywood film posters, you would be correct. It’s a nod to Mamdani’s South Asian heritage. (His mother is Mira Nair, director of such classics of Indian cinema as Salaam Bombay! and Monsoon Wedding.)

But as Aneesh Bhoopathy, the man behind the visuals, explains to The Hollywood Reporter, the references go beyond that. The Philadelphia-based graphic designer says everything from bodega awnings to cabs to lottery tickets contributed to the look of a campaign that helped usher in a stunning upset — and a new chapter for New York politics.

Hi, Aneesh. Congrats on the big win and your great work on the campaign, which I’m seeing all the way from L.A. How did you get involved with the Zohran Mamdani campaign, Aneesh?

I’m a longtime member of Queens Democratic Socialists of America. I worked with them for a number of campaigns on the design side, some electoral, some for other kind of issue-based campaigns.

Zorah’s assembly race was in 2020. I had known him a little bit through the branch’s work, but not super well. He reached out, and we vibed. I think just being South Indian guys with similar politics and the same age and stuff. It was during the pandemic and I think because of that a lot of the typical operations of the campaign in terms of door-knocking and showing up at events was different. It was cool in some ways, because you kind of saw the opportunity to send out mailers and put a lot of design thought into them. He was super detail-oriented and I thought forward-thinking about all that. At the end of 2024 he mentioned he’s going to run for mayor and wanted to work together again. And that’s how I got involved in the mayoral race.

What was your reaction to him saying he wants to run for mayor? Were you like, “That’s a long shot,” or did you think, “Oh wow — I can see this happening?”

I knew he was very talented, and I knew he was really creative about how to reach people. I knew he was great at connecting with people. On the design side, I really admired how seriously he took design communications. I remember he wanted to do something about getting people to take the census and explaining the importance of it. He wanted to make something that looked like New York State Lottery scratch-off tickets. So it was so cool to have someone come up with ideas like that and then just be excited about what we could do with it visually. I definitely was like, “This is a talented guy.”

I did have high hopes for him because I had been around for his original election, which was a huge long shot. I been in DSA knocking doors for AOC and was there that night she beat Joe Crowley. I had been there for a bunch of other candidates that people considered long shots. I had seen the power of the volunteer machine and I knew the enthusiasm for that machine would be high. And so I was like, “If nothing else, it’s going to be a way to build that machine and be in more neighborhoods and get more people comfortable with talking to their neighbors. I was like, “Hell yeah, let’s do it.”

Let’s get into the design. I guess the main image that caught my eye was this drop shadow treatment of his first name. Three colors that repeat throughout the campaign. There’s a sort of mustard or tangerine color. And then blue and red. So, can you tell me how you chose those colors and how you came up with that very striking drop shadow letter treatment?

It’s began as being inspired very much by what I would call bodega signage — that bright yellow awning that’s meant to stand out. It’s a taxi cab kind of yellow that’s just built to stand out. The thinking was, if it works for them, why not? And Zohran has done some work with taxi cab drivers, so there was a bit of a resonance there. It’s the primary colors that are on so many things in New York, like the Metro Card and the New York Lottery.

Does this yellow have a name? Because it’s almost half orange, half yellow. I wouldn’t quite call it yellow.

It’s a little bit toward orange, for sure. I think I’d have to look through a Pantone book at its name. I think mustard’s a good name for it, even though there is something about the word mustard I don’t love.

I saw some discussion online about it being Bollywood inspired. Is that true? If so, how does that fit into the equation?

Originally, the mark [or main logo] was going to be in sans-serif font that you see at the bottom, the part that says, “for New York City.” That font is called Portland North and was going to be the actual “ZOHAN” piece, as well.




It was maybe a little bit less expressive, but I didn’t mind it. But Zohran was interested in pushing how expressive it could be and trying some other fonts. So, I mentioned Bollywood posters as an inspiration. Zohran sent a couple over. There’s definitely expressive typography in them and you see a lot of yellow and red.

We weren’t going to shy away from looking different from the standard campaign font. And playing into the identity of being South Asian. So we tried some different types of styles. We started with a font called Boheld. It had this beautiful Z. Just off that Z alone, we tuned up the typeface until it was right for him and added the shadow.

I’m looking at Boheld now. I see it used on whiskey labels. It looks like Old English, almost.

It’s funny. Yeah, I think people would probably be surprised to learn that with the starting point.

So have you coined a new font? Is this Zohran font?

I don’t actually know in the typography world how far away you have to get from the source of material for it to be kind of permissible in that world. It could be cool, though.

Thank you for walking me through that. Were you at the victory party?

Yeah, I was there. I got to talk to him briefly, give him a hug.

And what’s the plan going forward? What do you call this anyway? What’s the term for the overall visual look of his campaign?

I guess they call it branding. I feel that’s a little incorporated, and I prefer to call it “identity work.” Besides this, we also worked on campaign literature. My partner Phil Ditzler at my co-op did all their web work. Then we did their literature. And all the merch that you see on Instagram, the bandanas and the fans. Just ways of creatively extending that brand into stuff that got people excited.

So you’re going to stick to these colors and these visuals through the actual mayoral election?

Yeah, haven’t completely discussed that yet. I imagine that would be the case, though.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ ... 236300580/

[Owendonovan]

The lack of any kind of substantive response, to how quickly and dangerously this American democracy is eroding, from elected Democrats is alarming. I'd never not vote, or vote republican, so I'm left with?

[skatingfan]

The lack of any kind of substantive response, to how quickly and dangerously this American democracy is eroding, from elected Democrats is alarming. I'd never not vote, or vote republican, so I'm left with?

Most authoritarian regimes have opposition parties that go along to get along in the hopes that when the current regime collapses they will be able to take power. I don't think it ever works out, but there is a significant number of leading Democrats who would rather hold on to their power, and position than fight to save the American Republic.

[ti-amie]