On stage were Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, former governor Andrew Cuomo – now running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani in June – and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
Mamdani and Cuomo, the race frontrunners, wasted no time and began sparring – with Sliwa between them – almost immediately.
All three candidates agreed that Trump should not send national guard troops to New York City.
That’s why he lost the primary,” Mamdani said.
A poll released last week showed Mamdani leading, with 46% of likely voters supporting him, followed by Cuomo, at 33%, and Sliwa, at 15%.
Less than three weeks before voters cast their ballots, the three mayoral candidates for New York City squared off in the first of two televised debates on Thursday night.
Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, and former governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani in June and is now running as an independent. Mayor Eric Adams did not run in the election after withdrawing from it a few weeks prior.
Both local and national issues, such as crime, policing, affordability, housing, and transportation, as well as how they would deal with the Trump administration and the recent ceasefire agreement in Gaza, were among the topics of contention between the candidates during the two-hour debate.
The leaders of the race, Mamdani and Cuomo, wasted no time in sparring, with Sliwa in between them, almost instantly.
Cuomo is making a notable attempt at a political comeback after he resigned as New York’s governor in 2021 due to numerous sexual harassment accusations. Painting Mamdani as too inexperienced and unfit to be the city’s leader, he began the evening by repeating his performance in the primary debates.
“On-the-job training is not appropriate for this position,” Cuomo stated. “The failed mayors are those who lack managerial experience, if you look at them. “”.
The 33-year-old Queens state assemblyman, Mamdani, who calls himself a democratic socialist, retaliated against Cuomo by pointing to his five years in the New York state assembly as well as his firsthand knowledge of New York City. “Someone who has actually paid rent in the city,” he boasted, “someone who actually buys his groceries in this city, someone who has had to wait for a bus that never came.”.
Cuomo retorted, “The assemblyman stated that he lacks experience. “.”.
“What I lack in experience, I make up for with integrity, and what you lack in integrity, you could never make up for with experience,” retorted Mamdani. “.”.
At one point, Cuomo was questioned about his handling of nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic and the accusations that preceded his resignation. He was questioned about why people should believe that he possesses the “character to be mayor.”.
“Nothing came of that,” Cuomo said, defending his record and refuting the accusations.
Republican candidate and Guardian Angels founder Sliwa attacked both candidates throughout the evening, calling Mamdani’s plans “fantasies” and teasing Cuomo for losing the Democratic primary. In addition, he attacked the former governor for allegedly engaging in sexual harassment.
Throughout the first hour of the debate, Donald Trump was a prominent figure as each candidate discussed some of his policies and how they would interact with his administration if elected.
Mamdani stated that he would be open to working with Trump “if it means delivering on lowering the cost of living for New Yorkers.” However, he cautioned that “if he ever wants to come for New Yorkers in the way that he has been, he, as the next mayor of this city, is going to have to get through me.”.
While Sliwa stated that he would “sit and negotiate” with Trump, Cuomo stated that he would cooperate with the president but “fight” him if he attempted to “hurt New York.”.
“You can be tough, but you can’t be tough if it means depriving people of federal funds that they need badly,” Sliwa stated.
“Trump should not send national guard troops to New York City,” all three candidates agreed.
When Cuomo implied that he was the only contender capable of dealing with Trump, Sliwa retaliated, saying, “You think you’re the toughest guy alive.”. Your primary was lost by you. “.”.
Also discussed on the debate stage was the recent ceasefire agreement in Gaza. Mamdani was questioned about his opinions on Hamas. He has been outspoken in support of Palestinian rights and critical of the Israeli government.
“I think they should put down their arms, of course,” he said. “A ceasefire entails putting out the fire.”. This means that all parties must put down their weapons and cease fire, and we demand this not only to stop the genocide but also to allow humanitarian aid to reach everyone without hindrance. “.”.
Cuomo attacked Mamdani, saying he was speaking in “code” in his response and that he was not willing to “denounce Hamas.”. By referring to Cuomo as the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “legal defense team during the course of this genocide,” Mamdani retaliated.
Additionally, Mamdani stated that he was dissuaded from using the phrase “globalize the intifada” when speaking with Jewish New Yorkers.
As the city’s first Muslim mayor, my goal is to unite all New Yorkers, including Muslims, Jews, and anyone else who chooses to call the city home. Cuomo referred to Mamdani as “a divisive personality across the board” after he stated, “They understand they won’t just be protected, but they will belong.”.
The ceasefire agreement, which many have claimed closely resembled the one Biden mediated during his administration, was mediated by the Trump administration, which both Sliwa and Cuomo commended.
Mamdani was also questioned regarding his prior remarks on social media, such as those he made in 2020 regarding the New York Police Department amid the nationwide demonstrations against police brutality that were triggered by George Floyd’s death. Mamdani demanded the defunding of the police in social media posts and referred to the department as “racist.”.
Mamdani expressed regret to the police department for those comments during an appearance on Fox News earlier this week. In private meetings, he also expressed regret to the officers, he added.
Mamdani stated on Thursday that he is “looking to work with police officers not to defund the NYPD, looking to ensure that officers can actually do one job when they’re signing up to join that department.” He had previously called for the defunding of the police, but he no longer felt that should happen.
Mamdani bragged about his intention to establish a department of community safety that would dispatch specialized mental health teams to respond to pertinent 911 calls.
In addition to increasing starting salaries and hiring 5,000 more officers, Cuomo promised to “work on the relationship between the community and the police” and deploy 1,500 of them to the subways.
Sliwa demanded that 7,000 officers be hired and that officers’ qualified immunity be restored.
Mamdani explained his plans for “fast and free” buses as part of mass transit, but Cuomo asserted that wealthy bus passengers would fund the program and that the buses would essentially serve as mobile shelters for the homeless.
After the affordability question was raised, candidates were questioned about their weekly grocery spending. About $150 was stated by Cuomo, $175 by Sliwa, and $125 by Mamdani.
Mamdani, whose campaign has focused on affordability, restated some of his earlier promises to build more housing, freeze rent increases on rent-stabilized apartments, and raise taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers.
Additionally, he criticized Cuomo for spending the majority of the debate ignoring a basic issue. I simply must state that in the hour and twenty minutes of this debate, Governor Cuomo has not used the word “affordability.”. He lost the primary because of this, Mamdani stated.
Mamdani was in the lead, according to a poll released last week, with 46% of likely voters backing him, followed by Cuomo (33%), and Sliwa (15%).
Wednesday, October 22nd, is the date of the final mayoral debate.
November 4th is election day. Early voting starts on October 25 and ends on November 2.
