(The Center Square) — The top three candidates in New York City’s mayoral race squared off Thursday night in a live televised debate, trading barbs over support for law enforcement, immigration, housing and President Donald Trump’s outsized influence over the contentious race.
For nearly two hours, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa hammered away at each other over who is best suited to succeed outgoing Mayor Eric Adams, who opted not to seek reelection. It’s the first time the three candidates have debated, with early voting in the mayoral election getting underway on Oct. 25.
Mamdani, who went into the debate with a double digit lead in the polls, faced a barrage of attacks from his rivals over previous criticism of the NYPD, Israel and the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, and his far-left tax and spending proposals.
Cuomo portrayed Mamdani as a newcomer who lacks the political and management experience to take over the nation’s largest city.
“He has no experience to run a $115 billion budget. He has literally never had a job. On his resume it says he interned for his mother,” Cuomo quipped. “This is not a job for first-timers.”
In turn, Mamdani blasted Cuomo as a “politician of the past” and ribbed the former New York governor over accusations of sexual harassment that prompted him to step down in 2021. He also leaned into Cuomo over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying he “sent senior citizens to their deaths” with his decision early in the public health crisis to move infected patients. Cuomo denied the allegations.
“What I don’t have in experience, I make up for in integrity. And what you don’t have in integrity, you could never make up for in experience,” Mamdani told Cuomo.
Sliwa, who took off his signature Guardian Angel red beret for Thursday night’s debate, took aim at both Cuomo and Mamdani for being “out of touch” with average New Yorkers.
He criticized their taxing and spending plans and for being “unwilling” to give President Trump credit for his accomplishments, such as his role in brokering the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal.
The panel of moderators, which included representatives of NBC 4 NY, Politico and TeleMundo, asked the candidates if they would stand up to President Donald Trump if he deployed the National Guard to the city to crack down on crime or enforce immigration laws. All three said they would oppose it, but Cuomo claimed if Mamdani is elected Trump will “take over the city.”
“If the assemblyman is elected mayor, Donald Trump is going to take over New York,” Cuomo said. “It will be Mayor Trump.”
Mamdani said he is willing to work with Trump to lower the cost of living for New Yorkers, but criticized him for his prosecutions of his political enemies and mass deportation plans.
“If he ever wants to come for New Yorkers in the way that he has been, he’s going to have to get through me as the next mayor of this city,” Mamdani said.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, was criticized by his rivals over his far-left proposals to raise taxes on businesses and the city’s top earners scrap New York City bus fares, provide “universal” child care, make city-run colleges “tuition-free” and set up government-run grocery stores.
“You would see New Yorkers on I-95 fleeing to Florida” if Mamdani’s tax plan is implemented, Cuomo said.
Sliwa agreed, saying New Yorkers are being lured away to lower-tax states. “You gotta cut taxes for people to stay here,” Sliwa said.
The panel peppered the candidates with questions about their plans for attracting more investment and businesses to New York City, funding education and transportation and cracking down on illegal parking.
Moderators even asked each candidate how much they spent on rent and groceries, as many New Yorkers struggle to afford either. Sliwa spent the most, or $175 a week. Both Cuomo and Mamdani said they drop about $150 a week at the grocery store.
A Quinnipiac poll released last Friday showed that Mamdani leads the race with 46% of likely voters backing him, while Cuomo has 33% support and Sliwa has 15% support. The mayoral election is Nov. 4.
