There aren’t many moments in life that make you regret a casual swipe on a dating app.
But for one woman, a split-second decision on Hinge has come back to haunt her, because the man she passed on turned out to be none other than Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s newly elected mayor and one of the most talked-about political figures on social media.
Viral post recalls a missed connection with the future mayor
A post that recently went viral on X captured the internet’s attention after someone shared what looked like a screenshot from TikTok.
The story came from a woman recalling her experience matching with Mamdani years ago on Hinge, only to swipe left before things went anywhere.
The tweet, captioned “Fumble of the century,” included the woman’s explanation for why she decided to pass.
“He was listed as either 5'11 or 5'10,” she wrote.
“And younger me knew that meant he was most likely 5'9.
"Present me appreciates that he was more honest than most guys on there.”
The confession quickly took off online, sparking a flood of reactions from users who couldn’t believe she’d turned down the man who would go on to become New York City’s youngest mayor.
Social media reacts: “You dropped the ball for real”
Within hours, Twitter users were piling into the comments section with jokes, sympathy, and a bit of disbelief.
Many called it a “historic fumble,” while others couldn’t resist imagining what could have been.
“Somewhere in America right now, a future President of the United States is barely getting matches on apps and getting ghosted after the first date because he was too nice,” one user joked.
Another wrote, “Imagine fumbling the future Mayor of NYC because of his height.”
Others chimed in with similar sentiments, saying they’d be “crying themselves to sleep” if they were in her shoes.
For the record, Mamdani is reportedly 5'10 – exactly as he listed on his dating profile.
Zohran Mamdani actually met his wife on Hinge
In an ironic twist, Zohran Mamdani did end up finding love on Hinge, just not with the woman from the viral post.
The 34-year-old mayor met his now-wife, Syrian-American artist Rama Duwaji, on the same dating app in 2021.
The pair kept their relationship relatively private while Mamdani’s political career took off, but their connection quickly grew serious.
After dating for a few years, Mamdani proposed in October 2024, and the couple celebrated their engagement and nikah ceremony that December in Dubai, with a lavish event overlooking the Burj Khalifa.
Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji after it was confirmed that he was elected as the mayor of NYC. Credit: Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images.
They later held a civil wedding at the New York City Clerk’s Office in early 2025, followed by a family celebration in Uganda, where Mamdani’s roots trace back.
From Hinge match to historic milestone
Duwaji has largely stayed out of the political spotlight, choosing instead to focus on her art.
But she has been a constant presence at Mamdani’s side throughout his mayoral campaign, offering quiet support as he made history as one of the youngest and most progressive mayors in New York City’s history.
As for the woman who swiped left all those years ago, social media seems to have already crowned her story as one of the greatest “what ifs” in modern dating history.
Sometimes, one swipe really can change everything.