May 2022, I took a trip to Albany with a tenant association to advocate for good cause eviction & fair housing rights for New Yorkers. I was being discriminated against and massively priced out of my UES apt by greedy landlords. On the floor, I noticed a ‘cute guy’ in a burgundy suit (we were in housing T-shirts, so he stood out) and was intrigued to see a dapper South Asian policy maker enthusiastically participating and cheering us on. We shook hands, but I had no clue who he was. Later on the bus, I Googled him. Umm, what?! Mira Nair’s @pagliji son?! And a fellow Gujarati?? Seeing so many diverse, young policy leaders that day, I was thinking about how lucky I was to live in a state with reps from all backgrounds. It reinforced my feeling of never wanting to live anywhere else. Good Cause Eviction didn’t pass, but I left feeling energized and hopeful about NY’s future thanks to these young leaders. I looked up Zohran’s political work and followed his achievements since—from holding the @mta accountable, to helping taxi drivers, immigrants, and speaking up for Palestine. When he announced his run for Mayor, it lifted me out of my funk and filled me with hope that real leadership could bring renewed energy to the city. And the feeling of ‘This could really happen!’ A handful of us had dinner with Zohran last month, and over Jamaican food, we discussed housing, community, gentrification, and more. He’s so authentic, passionate, and committed to fixing this city. Proud to have ranked @zohrankmamdani NUMBER ONE today. I tried not to get tears on my ballot as I thought of the blood, sweat, and tears my parents put into building their lives here 40 years ago. Today we have a South Asian (and part Gujarati!) man with a real chance to be the first ever mayor! I’ll be phone banking for Zohran this weekend—if you’re in NY, you can too! If you’re registered to vote, PLEASE don’t sit this one out. You’re risking FOMO! Oh And DO NOT rank Cuomo. . . #nocuomo #earlyvoting #zohranmamdani #fomo #rankedchoicevoting #vote #votenyc #nyc