Is Zohran Mamdani eligible to run for president in 2028?
No. To be president you must be a natural-born U.S. citizen. Zohran Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, in 1991 and became a U.S. citizen by naturalization in 2018, so he is not eligible to be president or vice president.
Article II of the Constitution requires the president to be a 'natural born Citizen.' That means a citizen at birth - someone born in the United States, or born abroad to a U.S.-citizen parent under the rules in effect at the time. A person who becomes a citizen later, through naturalization, does not qualify.
Zohran Mamdani was born on October 18, 1991, in Kampala, Uganda. He immigrated to the United States as a child and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018. Because he was not a U.S. citizen at birth, he does not meet the natural-born-citizen requirement and is constitutionally ineligible to serve as president or, under the 12th Amendment, as vice president.
This is the same requirement that has historically kept other naturalized citizens, such as former officials Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jennifer Granholm, off the presidential ballot. It is unrelated to a person's other qualifications: naturalized citizens can and do serve as mayors, governors, members of Congress, and Cabinet officials.
Mamdani's name appears in 2028 search interest, but on the constitutional question the answer is clear - he cannot run for president in 2028.
Related questions
Why isn't Mamdani eligible?
How old will Mamdani be in 2028?
What offices can a naturalized citizen hold?
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Related explainers
To be eligible, a person must be a natural-born U.S. citizen, at least 35 years old, and have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years.
Yes. AOC easily meets the constitutional requirements. Born October 13, 1989, she will be 39 years old on Election Day, November 7, 2028, and 39 on Inauguration Day 2029 - well over the minimum age of 35 - and she is a natural-born U.S. citizen.
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