New York City mayoral debate live: Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa face off for final time | New York
Final debate begins at New York City Hall
Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo And Curtis Slawa took the stage for a two-hour debate in Queens, New York, before the city’s residents went to the polls to decide who will become their next mayor.
The debate, which is expected to focus on public safety, the rising cost of living, housing and Donald Trump, will be the last time the candidates can make their pitches to New Yorkers before early voting begins on Saturday, October 25.
Key events
Andrew Cuomo suggests Zohran Mamdani won’t be able to freeze New Yorkers’ rent because he doesn’t control the rent guidelines board.
“If you want a mayoral candidate who tells you everything he can’t do, then Andrew Cuomo is your choice,” Mamdani responds. He then rightly argues that the mayor chooses the members of the board of directors.
“The number of homeless people since I left office has more than doubled,” Cuomo says of his tenure as governor of New York.
“Andrew, you didn’t leave, you fled to avoid indictment,” Sliwa said, looking at Cuomo from across the stage. “Leave? You fled!”
Asked about his relationship with Donald Trump, Curtis Sliwa responds: “You can’t beat Trump, he has all the cards”, suggesting that he is the candidate who can best deal with the president.
“I took on him and I beat him,” Cuomo says, and suggests that Trump will “take over New York City” if Mamdani wins.
Mamdani is withering in his response, telling viewers they just heard from Republican candidate and “puppet of Donald Trump himself, Andrew Cuomo.”
Mamdani claims Trump has made it clear he wants Cuomo to win, amid reports that the former governor consulted with the president on race strategy.
The first question concerns an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on street vendors on Canal Street in Manhattan on Tuesday.
All three candidates criticize ICE raids, with Cuomo saying he would have pushed the White House to remove federal agents.
“ICE is a reckless entity with little regard for the law,” Mamdani says.
Sliwa also says the raids were a bad idea, but calls the reaction of New Yorkers, who pushed back against officers while the raid was taking place, wrong.
Opening Statements
“It’s us against them” Curtis Slawathe Republican candidate, said in his brief opening statement, in which he claimed to be the true representative of New Yorkers.
Andrew Cuomothe former New York governor, begins by urging the Knicks to win, then pivots to attack “my primary opponent.” Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani, the Democratic candidate – who, according to Cuomo in his latest offensive ad “has no new ideas” and is just a reprise of Bill de Blasio, the former mayor – declares: “I have plans for our future, my opponents only have fear. »
Final debate begins at New York City Hall
Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo And Curtis Slawa took the stage for a two-hour debate in Queens, New York, before the city’s residents went to the polls to decide who will become their next mayor.
The debate, which is expected to focus on public safety, the rising cost of living, housing and Donald Trump, will be the last time the candidates can make their pitches to New Yorkers before early voting begins on Saturday, October 25.
Why didn’t leading Democrats support Mamdani?
Adam Gabbatt
He is the most prominent politician in the United States, the one who managed to attract thousands of young and new voters to the Democratic Party during his unexpected victory in the New York mayoral primary.
With Democrats suffering from historically low approval ratings, one would think the party would rally around Zohran Mamdani, learning from the 33-year-old media expert and capitalizing on his growing popularity.
This did not happen.
New York state’s most influential political figures have instead carefully avoided any public support for Mamdani, the self-described democratic socialist who has a 22-point lead over his closest challenger.
The New York Times reports that Zohran Mamdani plans to ask the New York City Police Commissioner, Jessica Tischto remain in his role if he wins the elections.
As the Times notes, deciding who will lead the 50,000-person department is one of the most important choices a New York mayor must make. Mamdani, who has criticized the NYPD and said he wants to create a community safety agency, may have been influenced by fierce lobbying since his victory in the Democratic primary.
It is unclear whether Tisch would agree to remain in this position.
Zohran Mamdani, Democratic candidate and front-runner in the mayoral race, was seen preparing for tonight’s debate at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens.
Sliwa leaves radio show over dispute with station’s billionaire owner
Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa has resigned from his role as host of a local radio show in New York after the station’s owner asked him to drop his mayoral bid, according to reports.
Sliwa, famous for his red beret, fired back at 77 WABC owner John Catsimatidis — himself a Republican — and complained that the station was giving preferential treatment to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The New York Post reports that Sliwa said: “You will never see me in the WABC studios again, ever, regardless of the outcome of this election.” »
Catsimatidis denied asking Sliwa to drop out of the race, but insisted that Cuomo’s chances of winning far exceeded Sliwa’s. Speaking to the Post, the billionaire businessman said: “I never called for him to leave the race, but I have recommended that many other people have said so.”
As in last week’s debate, Israel and Gaza could become a point of contention tonight.
Mamdani could be questioned again about his past comments about Israel. During the first debate, Cuomo attempted to demand that his opponent denounce Hamas, prompting Mamdani to say: “Of course, I believe that [Hamas] should lay down their arms… All parties must cease fire and lay down their arms.
Cuomo repeatedly suggested that Mamdani posed a danger to New York Jews, while Mamdani previously criticized Cuomo for not visiting mosques.
You can find our main takeaways from this first debate here:
How to watch or listen to the debate
The debate is scheduled for 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET (plus pre- and post-debate analysis). Wondering where to watch the broadcast debate or stream it? You have several options:
The candidates will likely clash over several high-profile municipal issues, including public safety, cost of living, public transportation, housing and a litany of ongoing and looming clashes with the Trump administration.
The debate comes the same week that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids linked to the “sale of counterfeit products” were carried out in the Chinatown district of New York. The federal agency’s actions drew protesters onto city streets — and drew condemnation from local leaders. Mayoral candidates also spoke.
Mamdani called the operation “an aggressive and reckless raid on immigrant street vendors,” adding: “Once again, the Trump administration is choosing authoritarian theatrics that create fear, not safety.” It must stop. »
Cuomo, an independent candidate and former governor of New York, called the raid “an abuse of federal power by the Trump administration: more about fear than justice, more about politics than security.”
“This is not who we are, and it will never be New York when I am mayor,” Cuomo said. “The Statue of Liberty stands in our harbor, not as a decoration, but as a declaration of our values and the promise of America.”
In a statement to Gothamist, a spokesperson for Sliwa said the Republican candidate believes that “the backs of restaurants and other service industries should not be the focus of immigration enforcement,” and that the federal government should prioritize the deportation of “gang members, sex traffickers, and those involved in major crimes.”
All three candidates said Donald Trump should not deploy troops to New York.
Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliwa will face off again before early voting
Hello and welcome to our live blog from the New York City mayoral debate. New York voters will have one last opportunity to see all three candidates – Democrat Zohran Mamdani, Independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa – lay out their arguments in the public forum for why they are the best person to lead America’s largest city.
This second and final confrontation comes a few days before the start of early voting, which will take place from Saturday October 25 to Sunday November 2. Registered voters who do not opt for these early votes can cast them on Tuesday, November 4.
The two-hour debate begins at 7 p.m. ET, hosted by Spectrum NY1, WNYC/Gothamist and the City. The mayoral race has garnered international attention, primarily for Mamdani, a state Assemblyman and democratic socialist whose optimistic, populist message has resonated with many New Yorkers.
We’ll bring you all the latest news and reaction from the debate as we receive it.
