It started as a casual swipe on a Sunday night — and ended as one of the most talked-about rejections in New York City politics. A woman has gone viral after claiming she once “brutally rejected” Zohran Mamdani, the newly elected Mayor of New York City, on a dating app — for one very specific reason she says she’ll “never regret.”
The revelation first surfaced on TikTok, where user @citygirldiaries posted a video saying, “I didn’t know who he was at the time — he was just this guy talking about socialism and cricket in his bio.” The clip, captioned *‘That time I unmatched the Mayor of NYC’*, has racked up over 5 million views in less than 48 hours.
“He sent me a long paragraph about rent control and Palestine,” she said, half-laughing. “It was like a policy speech, not flirting. I unmatched him immediately.”
“Woman says she unmatched Zohran Mamdani on Hinge after he started ‘debating economic justice’ in the chat 😂” @PopCrave
At the time of their alleged exchange, Mamdani — then a State Assemblyman representing Queens — wasn’t yet a household name. Known for his outspoken progressive politics and activism, he built a reputation as a grassroots organizer long before winning City Hall. But according to the viral post, that same political intensity might have cost him a match.
“I asked him what his idea of a perfect date was,” the woman continued. “He said, ‘A community housing meeting.’ I thought he was joking. He wasn’t.”
The internet quickly split into camps. Some users defended Mamdani, saying his passion for policy was part of his appeal. Others said the woman’s story perfectly summed up modern dating fatigue. “Imagine just trying to flirt and getting hit with a rent-stabilization manifesto,” one tweet read. Another user quipped, “She didn’t ghost him, she gentrified him.”
While the Mayor himself hasn’t commented publicly, a City Hall aide told The New York Times he “found the whole thing funny” and had “no recollection of any such conversation.” The spokesperson added, “The Mayor is focused on governing, not Hinge.”
“New York’s new Mayor Zohran Mamdani is trending after a woman says she rejected him on a dating app for being ‘too political’.” @DiscussingFilm
Still, screenshots circulating online appear to show a man whose profile matches Mamdani’s age, appearance, and Queens location, featuring his trademark line: ‘Organizing for justice, one rent strike at a time.’ The viral TikTok creator later clarified she wasn’t seeking fame. “I just thought it was a funny story,” she said in an update. “Then I realized I might’ve unmatched the Mayor.”
Supporters of Mamdani used the moment to highlight his authenticity. “That’s the most Zohran Mamdani thing ever — he’s campaigning even on dating apps,” one supporter joked on X. Another wrote, “He stayed on message. Respect.”
But others called the story a “walking red flag.” One viral comment on Reddit read: “You can’t flirt your way out of a housing crisis, bro.” Another said, “If your first Hinge message sounds like a debate club monologue, you’re not getting a second chance.”
The controversy comes just days after Mamdani’s unexpected rise to City Hall — a victory that stunned political observers and positioned him as one of the youngest mayors in the city’s history. He’s known for his outspoken progressive views, immigrant-rights advocacy, and refusal to take corporate donations. “He’s not the typical politician,” wrote Politico. “He’s an organizer who just happens to be running New York City.”
Despite the humor of the situation, social-media debates around gender, dating, and politics exploded. “This story says more about modern relationships than it does about Mamdani,” wrote columnist Moira Donegan. “Women are exhausted by men turning every interaction into a manifesto — even if they agree with the politics.”
“‘He told me he was planning a rent protest for our first date,’ she says. ‘That was my sign to log off.’” @TheCut
Several of Mamdani’s colleagues came to his defense, describing him as “deeply earnest” and “incapable of small talk.” One city staffer told NBC News, “That’s just who he is — he probably thought he was connecting by talking about housing justice.”
As the story continues to trend, the woman at the center of it all says she’s amused but overwhelmed. “I didn’t expect thousands of people to have an opinion about my love life,” she said. “But I stand by my decision. I want romance, not rent reform.”
By Thursday night, #UnmatchedTheMayor was trending on X, with memes showing Mamdani holding a phone and the caption “You Up (For Collective Action)?” Another viral tweet joked, “She rejected him — and he still made housing history. That’s resilience.”
While it’s still unclear whether the match ever actually happened, one thing’s certain: in the city that never sleeps, even heartbreaks can go political. As one commenter summed it up perfectly on Instagram, “Only in New York could ghosting become a policy debate.”
