Contrary to the rising emergence of right-wing Indian-origin politicians in the Donald Trump administration, including FBI Director Kash Patel and former DOGE leader Vivek Ramaswamy, Zohran Mamdani is witnessing a popularity boom in progressive circles. The Indian-American New York Rep who could go on to become the next NYC mayor following the November election cycle, has ticked off both President Donald Trump and his ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) movement.

As the self-proclaimed “worst nightmare” for Trump, Zohran Mamdani‘s relatively new presence in US politics has already got the Internet picking sides between him and fellow Indian-American Vivek Ramaswamy. The Ohio-based biotech entrepreneur, who is also a Yale Law and Harvard alum, further fuelled the currently hot debate pitting him against Mamdani by reacting to his surging traction on social media.

Vivek Ramaswamy on Zohran Mamdani

Having already pitched in his brief candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, Ramaswamy ultimately pulled out of the race and put his support behind Trump. He has since announced his candidacy for the 2026 Ohio governor bid. With that in mind, he challenged the growing attention being showered on Mamdani this week, pitching Ohio as an ideal solution for those wary of the Democratic socialist’s potential NYC mayoral victory later this year.

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In light of Zohran Mamdani taking the lead in the Democrat mayoral primary, several conservative political commentators and activists used their social media platform to target him and launch a smear campaign against him. One such person to join in the rhetoric was former swimmer Riley Gaines. Digging up a years-old tweet from Mamdani’s X profile that read “Queer liberation means defund the police,” she wrote, “New York City is so screwed.”

Democrat mayoral primary bid vs Republican’s Ohio governor race

Vivek Ramaswamy chose to respond to her post by reiterating a sentiment he highlighted on his own page even days ago. Quote-posting Gaines’ message, he replied, “Here’s a solution: move to Ohio. The heart of the nation, with 4 full seasons & an economic boom on the horizon. Friendly, hardworking, family-oriented people. Diverse viewpoints. Zero capital gains tax, zero income tax, & a gold standard for K-12 education. All coming very soon.”

The Indian-American entrepreneur even went on to pin his response to Gaines on his profile. The pro-Ohio jargon used in this particular post aligned with what he said days ago as well. Alluding to a New York Post report about a “shocking pill” indicating that Mamdani had overtaken Andrew Cuomo in NYC’s ranked choice primary, Ramaswamy wrote, “There’s a better way: move to Ohio.”

His tweet dated June 23 (IST) continued, “True-cross section of America, with 4 full seasons, and an industrial boom ahead. Zero capital gains tax starting in 2027 & headed to zero income tax from there. Top state to raise a young family & give our kids a world-class education – soon.”

The pattern of Ramaswamy’s posts is evidently visible as they’ve repeatedly emerged as a counter to Zohran Mamdani’s NYC bid. But they’re even more so aligned with making the conversation all about his own Ohio gubernatorial race.

Zohran Mamdani vs Vivek Ramaswamy: Internet plays up South Asian divide in US politics

Netizens couldn’t help but draw comparisons between the two Indian-American men in US politics. Comments like “Zohran Mamdani ran a very clever campaign while Vivek Ramaswamy destroyed his career with a tweet” referred to how the Ohio man’s DOGE career fell apart shortly after his rant on American culture amid the already soaring H-1B debate late last year and early 2025 gained contentious traction on the Internet.

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Another user wrote, “Zohran Mamdani is what everyone thought Vivek Ramaswamy would be last year.” A third noted, “Vivek tried appealing to right wingers vs Mamdani appealing to leftists. Also Vivek talked about White people the way Republicans talk about Black people which obviously offended a lot of people.”

Someone even added, “The contrast between Vivek Ramaswamy and Zohran Mamdani seems like a perfect case study. They’re the complete opposite ends of the “Indian Man” personality spectrum. They’re complete opposites in every regard.” A fifth person chimed in, “Unemployed Muslim Mamdani is smarter than Billionaire Harvard grad Vivek Ramaswamy who got a slap in his face for MAGA simping.”

However, not everyone was Team Mamdani. Some others padded their argument by citing Ramaswamy’s hefty education qualifications and more. “First Compare The Credentials of both of them and then speak. Vivek Ramaswamy is an entrepreneur he has clear insight and Vision on Economic reforms, Policy Measures,Citizenship Issues, Education Reform etc,” tweeted a user. “Vivek Ramaswamy never Indulged in Abusing any Religion and making Islamophobic comments”

Looking back at a panel discussion earlier this year, wherein Mamdani likened Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, branding him a “war criminal,” the user added, “Whereas,Mamdani has been thriving on Cheap Theatrics,Stupid Gimmicks and Minority Card. Few days back he was Abusing Hindu Gods and Goddesses.”

And yet, there were some who regarded both men as the privileged “best” of Indian roots. “Product of two highest levels of historical privileges. Mamdani is son of an elite muslim settled in Uganda. Mom’s side Grandpa was IAS,” they tweeted. “Vivek is from Tamil brahmin elite. Dad was an NIT engineer long ago. US is lucky. They get our best.”

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