Socialist NYC Mayor Candidate Lied About His Race

The latest progressive darling, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, is confronting renewed scrutiny over lying about his racial identity following the release of a 2009 college application in which he selected both “Asian” and “Black or African American.” The application, submitted during his senior year of high school to Columbia University, came to light after a cyberattack on the school’s admissions system exposed historical applicant data.

Born in Uganda to Indian parents, his father a Columbia professor and his mother a famous Indian movie director, Mamdani has framed the dual racial identification as an effort to reflect the complexity of his background. Now, after lecturing others about race, Mamdani has stated that the rigid categories offered on applications did not accommodate his identity as a Ugandan-born American of South Asian descent. Though not accepted to Columbia, despite all his advantages, he later enrolled at Bowdoin College.

*chefs kiss* https://t.co/jAEqRnLq9d pic.twitter.com/qDAANrQyqD

— John Hasson (@SonofHas) July 4, 2025

The revelation reminded some of another famous progressive who lied about her own racial background in hopes of getting ahead.

Mamdani is the Elizabeth Warren of NYC. He lied on his application to Columbia and said he was black. And he still didn’t get in even with his dad being a prof there.

This is hilarious.

But I predict it won’t make any difference in the New York election. pic.twitter.com/gMvodCCflv

— Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) July 3, 2025

The leaked data—which according to The New York Times was extracted by hackers investigating the university’s past use of race-conscious admissions—includes applicants’ self-reported racial designations, test scores, and outcomes, but not full applications. Columbia University has not verified the authenticity of the material and continues to investigate the breach.

Mamdani’s campaign has consistently emphasized his identity as a South Asian and Muslim immigrant, with outreach tailored to those communities through multilingual literature and appearances in traditional dress. His biography—rooted in Kampala and shaped by a politically active family in the Indian diaspora—has featured prominently in his messaging as he seeks to unseat incumbent Mayor Eric Adams.

He has gone as far as to eat rice with his hands to show some sort of ethnic realism.

Mamdani went to a private school that now costs $66k a year to attend.

The whole point of his video was to show him eating with his hands to pretend he’s 3rd world… there was no reason for him to be eating a bowl of rice at all for this short interview.

All performance. https://t.co/UquLRR3xIQ

— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) July 2, 2025

While Mamdani has referenced his African roots in speeches, particularly when addressing Black audiences, he has not publicly identified as Black or African American in other contexts. His campaign has highlighted symbolic ties to African political heritage, such as his middle name, Kwame, given in tribute to Ghana’s first prime minister. Yet he struggled to connect with Black voters in the primary, losing heavily in majority-Black districts to rival Andrew Cuomo.

With the general election approaching, many have begun to wonder what other revelations about Mamdani will come to light now that he has a target on his back.

[Read More: Two More Chinese Spies Captured]