In an attempt to appeal to voters, Mamdani, Cuomo, and Sliwa throw barbs during the New York mayoral debate

Less than two weeks before voters select the city’s next mayor on November 4, New York City’s three mayoral candidates engaged in a heated debate on Wednesday night in their last televised contest.

There was a heated and frequently tumultuous debate between Republican Curtis Sliwa, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, and independent Andrew Cuomo. Eric Adams, the current mayor, did not show up this time either. He had withdrawn from the race weeks prior.

In his opening remarks, Sliwa declared, “It’s us versus them,” putting Cuomo and Mamdani together in spite of their mutual disapproval of each other.

Mamdani began by charging that both competitors were more interested in discouraging one another than in coming up with fresh concepts. Although it is unclear how many conservatives would support Cuomo, the former governor’s supporters have urged Sliwa to step aside in order to unite anti-Mamdani votes.

In response, Mamdani said, “I have plans for our future, my opponents only have fear.” Cuomo said Mamdani “has no new ideas” and simply reiterated ideas from former mayor Bill de Blasio. “.”.

To start, Cuomo referred to ICE raids in New York as a police matter and stated that federal immigration agents should not concentrate on quality-of-life offenses such as street vending. He went on to say that he would have personally called Donald Trump to control ICE.

In contrast to Cuomo and Mamdani, Sliwa said he would “negotiate with Donald Trump and try to get the best deal possible.”. Calling Cuomo “Donald Trump’s puppet,” Mamdani retaliated.

The two then argued about Trump’s preferred candidate. Calling the progressive “Trump’s dream,” Cuomo asserted that Trump wanted Mamdani elected so he could “come in and take over the city.”.

Later, the record 150,000 homeless students in the city became the topic of discussion. Plans to double a program that pairs city employees with shelter families for routine check-ins were discussed by Mamdani. Without providing specific statistics, Cuomo claimed that the “homeless rate has more than doubled” since he left office.

You didn’t go, Sliwa joked. “You escaped from being impeached,” it was said, drawing one of the loudest cheers of the evening.

Regarding housing, Mamdani promised to “freeze the rent” while simultaneously assisting landlords. Cuomo argued that Mamdani could not freeze rents because he has no authority over the city’s rent guidelines board and justified previous rent increases as necessary.

Mamdani responded, “Andrew Cuomo is your choice if you want a candidate for mayor who tells you everything he can’t do,” adding that the mayor selects board members.

While Cuomo and Mamdani expressed conditional support for the “City of Yes” zoning reforms, Sliwa opposed them. In response to more questions, Mamdani stated: “I haven’t decided on those ballot amendments yet. “”.

Throughout the middle part of the debate, questions centered on Mamdani’s support for Jewish New Yorkers. 650 rabbis wrote a letter accusing Mamdani of endangering “the safety and dignity of Jews in every city,” which Cuomo cited. He charged the Muslim candidate with assisting in “fanning the flames of hatred against Jews.”.

Sliwa continued by claiming that Mamdani is in favor of “global jihad.”. Since he was the first Muslim to be in charge of the city, Mamdani retorted, “I have never, not once, spoken in support of global jihad,” and implied that this attack was being staged.

“So that children in this city learn about the beauty and the breadth of the Jewish experience,” he continued, adding that he would expand a new Jewish history curriculum in public schools and guarantee the safety of Jewish children.

Jessica Tisch is the city’s police commissioner, and all three candidates promised to keep her.

Nearly halfway through the debate, Cuomo and Mamdani’s disagreements grew even more heated when the latter was accused of being vague or evasive about his beliefs.

“In terms of our schools, I think that every single child should have an excellent public education,” Mamdani first stated. After that, he made reference to the need for increased literacy and funding for public schools, but he did not go into further detail about his proposal to reform education in New York City. He changed course and specifically criticized Cuomo for his protracted delay in building additional housing during his time as governor.

“Not if it’s you!” Mamdani interrupted as Cuomo shot back, pointing out that the governor doesn’t construct housing.

The men began talking over each other with louder comebacks, which quickly escalated the situation. While Mamdani criticized Cuomo for his inadequacies as governor, Cuomo once more brought up Mamdani’s inexperience.

At one point, Cuomo told Mamdani, “You don’t know how to run a government and you don’t know how to handle an emergency.”.

Sliwa weighed in after moderators urged him to maintain order, claiming that his fellow candidates were “fighting like kids in the school yard.”. According to Sliwa, Mamdani’s resume could fit on a cocktail napkin, and Cuomo’s failures could fill a public school library. “”.

Errol Louis, one of the moderators, had to remind the candidates that “they know how this works” and cautioned them against interrupting each other.

In his account of his son’s encounter with gang violence, Sliwa claimed that the offenders received only “a pat on the wrist” under juvenile law. Later on, when the capacity of mental hospitals was being discussed, Cuomo joked that he would “save one for Sliwa.”.

Mamdani and Sliwa responded negatively to the question of whether they would accept a possible endorsement from Eric Adams, but Cuomo responded positively.

Sliwa remarked, “Definitely not—put that crook in jail.”.

Mamdani questioned Cuomo about the former governor’s alleged sexual harassment while accuser Charlotte Bennett was present. She asked, “What do you say to the 13 women who you sexually harassed?”.

Although the lawsuit is still pending, Cuomo rejected this, claiming that Mamdani was not “mature” and that the cases were dropped.

During the debate, Lindsey Boylan, one of Cuomo’s accusers, praised Mamdani for bringing up the accusations and criticized Cuomo for X.

One of these women is me. I was harassed as Andrew Cuomo’s employee and have been subjected to legal abuse by him for years. His goal now is to become mayor. Thank you ⁦[Mamdani]⁩ for voicing your opposition to this injustice, and shame on you, Cuomo,” she wrote.

Sliwa and Cuomo opposed the mandatory closure of Rikers Island in 2027, while Mamdani backed it, referring to the prison as a “stain on the history” of New York. Cuomo issued a warning that closing it would “let 7,000 criminals go into New York City.”. Adams has made it “nearly impossible” to meet the deadline, according to Mamdani, but he promised to try.

Bickering took over the conversation once more. Using the Mario Cuomo Bridge and the Second Avenue Subway as examples, Cuomo highlighted his experience. “You will hear from Andrew Cuomo about his experience as if we don’t know about it,” Mamdani shot back. We went through what you went through! Your experience is the problem.

In reference to wages, Mamdani suggested implementing a $30 minimum wage gradually and claimed that New York was turning into “a museum of where working-class people used to be able to live.”.

Sliwa retorted, “Zohran Mamdani deals with fantasies, not reality.”.

Additionally, Mamdani’s proposal for universal free buses caused friction between the candidates. According to Cuomo, it would “subsidize the rich.”.

The night ended rather predictably after a heated debate filled with arguments and zingers, with none of the three mayoral candidates naming a candidate they would like to see run for president in 2028.

Tuesday, November 4th is election day for the mayoral race in New York City. The early voting period lasts from October 25 to November 2.