In the first election battle of Donald Trump’s second term, three immigrants, including Muslims with Indian roots – Zohran Mamdani, Aftab Pureval and Ghazala Hashmi – handed the US president and MAGA fighter his first defeat in a hard-fought battle.
The Nov. 4 election, ahead of next year’s midterm polls to decide control of Congress, has been seen as crucial for Trump, as he has repeatedly said Democrats are far more likely to win the next presidential election if they do not end the Filibuster.
Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, won the mayoral race in New York, defeating former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Pureval secured a second term as Cincinnati mayor, defeating Republican challenger Cory Bowman. Ghazala Hashmi won the lieutenant governor race in Virginia, defeating Republican John Reid.
Read also | Mamdani reaches New York’s highest office – what challenges await his mayoralty?
What am I Zohran Mamdani?
Zohran Mamdani (34) was born in Uganda and grew up in New York.
Mamdani is the son of Mahmood Mamdani, a Ugandan author of Indian ancestry, and renowned Indian filmmaker Mira Nair.
Earlier this year, he married Rama Duwaji, a Syrian American artist.
Mamdani attended Bronx High School of Science and graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine in 2014.
He was first elected to the New York Assembly in 2020,
In a fiery speech, Mamdani described his victory as the dawn of a ‘new era’ for New York.
“New York, you delivered tonight. A mandate for change. A mandate for a new kind of politics. A mandate for a city we can afford. And a mandate for a government that delivers exactly that,” Mamdani told supporters.
Read also | Meet Andrew Epstein – the man behind Zohran Mamdani’s social media campaign
Who is Aftab Pureval?
Aftab Pureval won a second term as mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, defeating Cory Bowman, the half-brother of Vice President JD Vance.
“Cincinnati, it’s an honor to serve as your mayor. I’m humbled and ready to continue our work for the next four years,” Aftab Pureval said on X after the win.
Pureval previously studied political science at Ohio State University. He received his law degree from the University of Cincinnati in 2008 and practiced law in DC
Pureval returned to Cincinnati in 2012 to work at the Department of Justice and Procter & Gamble.
In 2015, Pureval began his political career after running for Hamilton County Clerk of Courts.
Pureval is married to Whitney, an internal medicine physician at Bethesda North Hospital. They have two children – Bodhi and Rami.
“44 years ago, my parents left Tibet and India and everything they knew. They traveled the world because they believed in the promise of America. Our country has reaffirmed my parents’ decision time and time again. Let’s work to preserve this dream for the next generation,” Pureval said in an Instagram post ahead of the 2024 US presidential election.
Read also | Trump’s chilling news as Indian American Zohran Mamdani wins in New York
Who is Ghazala Hashmi?
Ghazala Hashmi, 61, became the first Muslim and South Asian American to win the Virginia governor’s election, defeating Republican challenger John Reid.
The Indian-born American politician and Democrat won 54.2 percent of the vote against rival John Reid.
According to her profile, Ghazala immigrated to the United States from India with her mother and older brother at the age of four, joining her father in Georgia just as he was completing a doctorate in international relations and beginning his university teaching career.
Hashmi was first elected to office in November 2019.
Ghazala spent nearly 30 years as a professor — first teaching at the University of Richmond — and then at Reynolds Community College.
In 2024, she was named chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee, a key leadership post for two critical Democratic priorities — reproductive freedom and public education.
