Three immigrants, including Muslims with Indian roots, turn Trump–MAGA rhetoric on its head with stunning wins

In the first electoral battle in the second term of Donald Trump's presidency, three immigrants, including Muslims with Indian roots — Zohran Mamdani, Aftab Pureval and Ghazala Hashmi — delivered the US President and MAGA heartthrob his first defeat in a fiercely fought battle.

The 4 November elections ahead of mid-term polls next year to decide control of Congress were seen as crucial for Trump, who has repeatedly said that Democrats are far more likely to win the next Presidential Election, if they don’t do the termination of the Filibuster.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist, won the Mayor's race in New York, defeating former New York State Governor 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's race in Virginia, defeating Republican John Reid.

Who is Zohran Mamdani?

Zohran Mamdani (34) was born in Uganda and raised in New York City.

Mamdani is the son of Mahmood Mamdani, a Ugandan author of Indian ancestry and renowned Indian filmmaker Mira Nair. He got married to Rama Duwaji, a Syrian American artist, earlier this year.

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 age’ for New York.

“New York, tonight you have delivered. 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 his supporters.

Who is Aftab Pureval?

Winning the second term as mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, Aftab Pureval defeated Cory Bowman, the half-brother of Vice President JD Vance.

“Cincinnati, it’s the honor of my life to serve as your mayor. I’m humbled, and I’m ready, to continue our work for the next four years,” Aftab Pureval said on X after victory.

Pureval studied political science at Ohio State University before. He earned his law degree from the University of Cincinnat in 2008 and worked as a lawyer in D.C.

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, a doctor of internal medicine at Bethesda North Hospital. They have two kids — Bodhi and Rami.

“44 years ago, my parents left Tibet, and India, and everything they knew. They traveled across the world because they believed in the promise of America. Over and over again, our country has affirmed my parents’ decision. Let’s work to preserve that dream for the next generation,” said Pureval in a post on Instagram before the US Presidential elections in 2024.

Who is Ghazala Hashmi?

Becoming the first Muslim and South Asian American to win Virginia Lieutenant Governor election, Ghazala Hashmi (61) defeated Republican rival John Reid.

The India-born American politician a Democrat secured 54.2 per cent votes against rival John Reid.

According to her profile, Ghazala emigrated with her mother and older brother from India to the United States at the age of four and joined her father in Georgia just as he was completing his PhD in international relations and beginning his university teaching career.

Ghazala spent nearly 30 years as a professor — first teaching at the University of Richmond — and then at Reynolds Community College.

Hashmi first got elected to office in November 2019. In 2024, she was named Chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee, a crucial leadership post for two critical Democratic priorities -- reproductive freedom and public education.