US Election 2020: Mira Nair's Democratic Socialist son Zohran Mamdani wins New York Assembly seat

Filmmaker Mira Nair’s son Zohran Mamdani made history on November 4 by becoming the first South Asian to win the New York Assembly seat. Mamdani, who is a Democratic Socialist and a rapper, ran unopposed to represent New York’s 36th Assembly District in Astoria. The DSA-backed candidate had defeated incumbent Aravella Simotas by 346 votes in the Democratic primary.

It's official: we won.

I'm going to Albany to fight to tax the rich, heal the sick, house the poor & build a socialist New York.

But I can't do it alone. To win socialism, we'll need a mass movement of the multiracial working class as well.

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So let's build one. Join @nycDSA. pic.twitter.com/kzgplFgIJL

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— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) November 4, 2020

Mamdani was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda, but spent a good part of his life in New York City. Mira Nair’s son now works as a housing counsellor and helps immigrants facing eviction threats retain their homes. He decided to join politics in 2019 after a member of the local unit of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) suggested it.