In their last face-off before New Yorkers vote, US Assembly member Zohran Mamdani, former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa sparred bitterly over credibility, integrity and leadership. The debate, their second and final one, saw fiery exchanges and personal attacks, as each tried to prove they were best suited to lead the US city.
Mamdani, the frontrunner and a democratic socialist, sought to stay above the rest by focusing on affordability and housing. Cuomo, running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary, leaned heavily on his experience while trying to shake off the sexual harassment allegations that ended his governorship.
Sliwa, the Republican founder of the Guardian Angels, presented himself as the straight-talking alternative to both.
While the debate covered crime, immigration, housing and the Israel-Hamas conflict, much of the attention centred on Cuomo’s past scandals, Mamdani’s inexperience, and how each would deal with a second Trump presidency.
Here are ten key takeaways from the debate:
- 01
Personal attacks dominate the night
Despite promises to focus on policy, all three candidates spent much of the evening trading personal insults. Mamdani accused his rivals of being consumed by fighting, as reported by AP, but later mocked Cuomo as “a desperate man, lashing out because the one thing he cares about, power, is slipping away.”
Cuomo dismissed Mamdani as unqualified, saying, “You’ve never had a job. You’ve never accomplished anything,” reported CNN. Sliwa said, according to AP, “Zohran, your résumé could fit on a cocktail napkin. And Andrew, your failures could fill a public school library.”
- 02
Mamdani’s experience questioned
Cuomo repeatedly hammered Mamdani for lacking experience, arguing that New Yorkers couldn’t trust him to manage crises. “There is no reason to believe you have any merit or qualification for 8.5 million lives,” he said, per CNN.
Mamdani countered that Cuomo himself had “screwed the city” during his decade as governor. “We just heard the man who ran the state for ten years say the city has been getting screwed by the state. Who was leading the state? It was you,” he fired back, drawing cheers, reported CNN.
- 03
Mamdani flips the ‘experience’ argument
Mamdani turned Cuomo’s experience into a liability. “The issue is not that we don’t know about Andrew Cuomo’s experience,” he said according to CNN. “It’s that we have all experienced it.” He used the moment to remind viewers of Cuomo’s 2021 resignation over sexual harassment allegations, introducing former aide Charlotte Bennett, one of Cuomo’s accusers, in the audience.
When given a chance to question Cuomo, Mamdani asked, according to AP, “What do you say to the 13 women that you sexually harassed?” Cuomo denied wrongdoing and said no district attorney had pursued charges.
- 04
A comparison with Trump’s tactics
Cuomo was forced to defend his past once again. He said five prosecutors had declined to bring charges against him and insisted he had never been found criminally or civilly liable. He accused Mamdani of being immature for bringing up the accusations, saying, “If you want to be in government, you have to be serious and mature,” reported AP. Mamdani compared Cuomo’s debate tactic to Donald Trump’s in 2016, when he invited Bill Clinton’s accusers to a presidential debate.
- 05
Canal Street raid and ICE spark local policy clash
A recent immigration enforcement raid in Manhattan’s Chinatown became a flashpoint. Cuomo said, “We don’t need ICE to do quality-of-life crimes,” calling the agency’s involvement unnecessary. Mamdani echoed the sentiment, describing ICE as “a reckless entity that cares little for the law and even less for the people they’re supposed to serve,” reported AP. Sliwa agreed federal agents shouldn’t intervene but added that local officials must do their jobs to prevent disorder.
- 06
The Trump question
Asked how they’d handle a Trump presidency, the candidates offered starkly different answers. Cuomo warned that Donald Trump will take over New York if Mamdani wins, adding, “He thinks he’s a kid and he’s going to knock him on his tuchus,” reported AP.
Mamdani shot back that Trump “wants Andrew Cuomo to be the mayor, not because it will be good for New Yorkers, but because it will be good for him.” Sliwa, meanwhile, argued, “You can’t beat Trump. You have to try to negotiate.”
- 07
Mamdani moderates stance on policing
Mamdani confirmed during the debate that, if elected, he would ask Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to stay on, a shift from his earlier criticism of the NYPD. “I can confirm that reporting,” he said when asked about a New York Times story. He has since apologised for past remarks calling police “racist” and “wicked,” signalling a more centrist approach as the general election nears, reported CNN.
Both Cuomo and Sliwa mocked Mamdani for refusing to take a position on upcoming ballot measures. “What a political answer,” Sliwa said, according to CNN. “What is your opinion, Zohran?” Cuomo joined in: “Yes or no?” Mamdani, caught in the crossfire, eventually replied, “I have not yet taken a position on those ballot amendments,” before accusing his rivals of appealing for the Republican Party’s votes.
- 08
Antisemitism and Israel criticism
Mamdani faced pointed questions about antisemitism and his stance on Israel. He insisted, “I look forward to being a mayor for every single person that calls the city home… including Jewish New Yorkers.” Cuomo accused him of failing to denounce chants like “Globalise the Intifada,” which he said meant “kill Jews,” as reported by CNN.
Sliwa added that Mamdani “fans the flames of antisemitism,” citing fears among Jewish families. Mamdani replied, “I have never, not once, spoken in support of global jihad. Much of this backlash has to do with the fact that I am the first Muslim candidate on the precipice of winning this election.”
- 09
Sliwa and Cuomo united but clashed
Though united at times against Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliwa also clashed. Sliwa accused Cuomo of sexual misconduct and asked, “Do you ever know that no means no?” Cuomo hit back by accusing Sliwa of tax fraud and failing to disclose donations to his Guardian Angels group. “That’s the person who has explaining to do,” he said, according to CNN. Later, Sliwa shouted, “Shame on you!” over Cuomo’s alleged cuts to mental health funding.
The evening ended with sharp contrasts rather than consensus. Mamdani left as the clear progressive favourite but faced mounting criticism over his record and rhetoric. As AP reported, when the debate ended, Cuomo was spotted at Madison Square Garden, catching the Knicks game’s second half alongside Mayor Eric Adams.
