Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliwa fling zingers in New York mayoral debate as they try to win over voters | New York

New York City’s three mayoral candidates engaged in a heated debate in their final televised matchup Wednesday night, less than two weeks before voters decide on the city’s next leader on Nov. 4.

Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani, independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa participated in a tense and often chaotic debate. Current mayor Eric Adams, who dropped out of the race weeks ago, did not enter the race again.

“We’re against them,” Sliwa said in his opening statement, grouping Cuomo and Mamdani together despite their mutual disapproval of each other.

Mamdani began by accusing both of his rivals of focusing on encouraging each other to leave rather than presenting new ideas. The former governor’s allies have called on Sliwa to stand down to consolidate the anti-Mamdani vote, but it’s unclear how many conservatives will support Cuomo.

Cuomo claimed Mamdani “has no new ideas” and merely echoed former mayor Bill de Blasio’s ideas, prompting Mamdani to retort: ​​”I have plans for our future, my opponents only have fear.”

Starting with the issue of ICE raids in New York, Cuomo said federal immigration officials should not focus on quality-of-life crimes like street vendors, calling them a matter for the police. He added that he would personally call Donald Trump to rein in ICE.

Sliwa said that unlike Cuomo and Mamdani, he “will negotiate with Donald Trump and try to get the best deal possible.” Mamdani responded by calling Cuomo a “puppet of Donald Trump.”

The two then argued over which candidate Trump would prefer. Cuomo claimed that Trump wanted Mamdani elected so he could “come in and take over the city” and called the progressive “Trump’s dream.”

The discussion then turned to the city’s record 150,000 homeless students. Mamdani talked about plans to double down on a program that matches shelter families with city workers for regular check-ups. Cuomo said “the homeless rate has more than doubled” since he left office but did not disclose his numbers.

“You didn’t go. You escaped blame,” Sliwa joked, earning one of the loudest applause of the night.

On housing, Mamdani said he would “freeze rent” but also help landlords. Cuomo has defended past rent increases as necessary, insisting Mamdani can’t freeze rents because he doesn’t control the city’s rent guidelines board.

“If you want a mayoral candidate who tells you everything he can’t do, then Andrew Cuomo is your choice,” Mamdani replied, explaining that the mayor appoints board members.

When the “City of Yes” zoning reforms came to the fore, Sliwa opposed them, while Cuomo and Mamdani expressed conditional support. Going further, Mamdani said: “I have not yet taken a position on these ballot amendments.”

The middle part of the discussion was dominated by questions about Mamdani’s support for New York Jews. Cuomo cited a letter from 650 rabbis claiming Mamdani threatened “the safety and dignity of Jews in every city.” He accused the Muslim candidate of helping “fan the fire of hatred against the Jewish people.”

Sliwa went further and claimed that Mamdani supported “global jihad”. Mamdani responded, “I have never, not once, spoken out in support of global jihad,” and suggested that the attack was fabricated because he was the first Muslim on the verge of leading the city.

He added that he would ensure the safety of Jewish children and expand a new public school curriculum on Jewish history “so that children in this city learn the beauty and breadth of the Jewish experience.”

All three candidates said they would keep Jessica Tisch, the city’s police commissioner.

Things got even more heated after Cuomo and Mamdani were questioned about being evasive or vague about their ideology nearly halfway through the debate.

Mamdani initially said: “When it comes to our schools, I believe every child should receive an excellent public education.” He then talked about public school funding and the need for higher literacy levels, but did not explain further his plan to overhaul education in New York City. He switched gears and specifically called out Cuomo for taking so long to build more housing during his tenure as governor.

Cuomo quickly responded by pointing out that the governor doesn’t build housing, prompting Mamdani to interject: “Not unless it’s you!”

Things quickly escalated as the men talked to each other in increasingly louder comebacks. While Cuomo once again cited Mamdani’s inexperience, Mamdani targeted Cuomo for his shortcomings as governor.

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

After being told by moderators to maintain order, Sliwa weighed in and said his fellow candidates were “fighting like kids in the schoolyard.” Sliwa said of Mamdani, “Your resume could fit on a cocktail napkin,” while of Cuomo, “Your failures could fill a public school library.”

One of the moderators, Errol Louis, had to remind the candidates that “they know how this works” and warned them not to talk to each other.

Sliwa described her son’s experience with gang violence, saying perpetrators only get a “tap on the wrist” under juvenile law. Later, amid a debate about psychiatric hospital capacity, Cuomo said he would “set aside one for Sliwa.”

When asked if they would accept a potential Eric Adams endorsement, Cuomo said yes, while Mamdani and Sliwa said no.

“Absolutely not; put that crook in jail!” said Sliwa.

During candidate questioning, Mamdani confronted Cuomo about harassment allegations against the former governor, noting that accuser Charlotte Bennett was in the audience: “What would you say to the 13 women you sexually harassed?”

Cuomo denied this, saying Mamdani was “immature” and that the cases had dropped even though the cases were still ongoing.

Lindsey Boylan, one of Cuomo’s accusers during the debate, called out Cuomo on X and congratulated Mamdani for speaking out about the allegations.

“I am one of these women. I have been legally harassed by Andrew Cuomo for years after being harassed as his employee. Now he wants to be mayor. Shame on Cuomo and thank you.”[Mamdani]”For voicing this injustice,” he said. wrote.

Speaking about Rikers Island, Sliwa and Cuomo opposed a mandatory 2027 closure, while Mamdani supported it, calling the prison a “stain on the history” of New York. Cuomo warned that the shutdown would “release 7,000 criminals into New York.” Mamdani said Adams made it “almost impossible” to meet the deadline but promised to try.

The discussion turned into a fight again. To highlight his experience, Cuomo touted infrastructure projects like the Second Avenue Subway and the Mario Cuomo Bridge. Mamdani fired back: “You’ll hear from Andrew Cuomo about his experience as if we didn’t know. We had your experience! Your experience is the problem!”

Discussing wages, Mamdani suggested a gradual transition to a $30 minimum wage, saying New York had become “a museum where working-class people can live.”

“Zohran Mamdani is interested in fantasies, not reality,” Sliwa replied.

The candidates also clashed over Mamdani’s universal free bus plan. Cuomo said it would “subsidize the rich.”

A night of contentious debate filled with fights and excitement ended in a rather predictable manner, with all three mayoral candidates refusing to name the candidate they want to run for president in 2028.

Election day for the New York City mayoral race is Tuesday, November 4. Early voting will begin on October 25 and run through November 2.