By: Margot Dragos
The three major candidates for mayor of New York City – Democratic Nominee Zohran Mamdani, Republican Nominee Curtis Sliwa, and Independent Candidate Andrew Cuomo – took the stage in the first of two mayoral debates on Friday, Oct. 17. The candidates directed attacks at one another on various issues such as safety, policy, and experience.
A topic that came up early in the debate was Cuomo’s various scandals as New York governor.
Cuomo resigned as governor in 2020 after multiple sexual harassment allegations and scandals related to his handling of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cuomo denied their validity, saying they were politically motivated.
“There was a report that was done that had allegations of harassment. I said at the time it was a political report and that there was no basis to it,” Cuomo affirmed.
He instead focused on his managerial experience as governor, stating “I got government to work. I passed groundbreaking laws, minimum wage, paid family leave, [and] built projects that had never been built before.”
“This is no job for on-the-job training,”he said referring to Mamdani’s lack of experience. Mamdani has served as an assemblymember since 2021, but has no significant management experience.
“What I don’t have in experience I make up for with integrity, and what you don’t have in integrity you could never make up for in experience,” Mamdani countered.
Shortly after, a debate moderator brought up the criminal investigation underway by the Department of Justice (DOJ) relating to Cuomo’s testimony to Congress about his nursing home record.
“That is a political issue with the Congress. They made a referral which has gone absolutely nowhere,” said Cuomo. “But there have been multiple investigations where the DOJ found that the nursing home investigation was politically motivated.”
Despite having the lowest polling numbers out of the three candidates on stage, Sliwa also came ready to fight. He appeared without his signature red beret, an accessory associated with the Guardian Angels, a nonprofit crime prevention group which Sliwa founded.
He directed his attacks at Cuomo and Mamdani, calling them“the architect and the apprentice,” highlighting Cuomo’s previous role as governor and Mamdani’s lack of experience.
“We have the architect and the apprentice of No Cash Bail, which has been a disaster, […] We have the architect and the apprentice of Close Rikers’ Island, which would just release criminals in the street,” Sliwa said.
“Thank god I’m not a professional politician, because [Cuomo and Mamdani] have helped create this crime crisis […] and I will resolve it.”
All three of the candidates were asked what they would say to President Donald Trump in their first call to him as mayor. Trump has played a critical part in the mayoral election, frequently threatening to cut federal funding and send the National Guard to NYC, specifically if Mamdani were elected.
“I would make it clear to the president that I am willing not only to speak to him, but to work with him if it means delivering on lowering the cost of living for New Yorkers,” said Mamdani. He went on to say that he’d “tell the president 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.”
Cuomo gave a similar response.
“I’d like to work with you. I think we could do good things together,” Cuomo said. “But I will fight you every step of the way if you try to hurt New York.”
Sliwa differed from the other candidates, saying that taking on Trump would do more harm than good for New Yorkers.
“If you try to get tough with Trump, the only people who are gonna suffer from that are the people of New York City,” Sliwa said.
The candidates were then asked to raise their hands if they’d allow the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to cooperate with the National Guard if Trump sent them to the city. None of them did so.
“There’s no need for the National Guard in New York,” said Sliwa.
“We do not need [the National Guard] for the purpose of safety,” Mamdani said. “What New Yorkers need is a mayor who can stand up to Donald Trump and actually deliver on that safety.”
Another topic of interest was how each candidate would protect Muslim and Jewish New Yorkers amid growing tensions due to the Israel-Hamas war, despite the recent ceasefire.
Mamdani was specifically asked about his failure to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which many Jewish New Yorkers see as violent.
“I have been so thankful for the opportunity I’ve had to sit with so many Jewish New Yorkers over the course of the primary and through the general [election],” Mamdani began. “And it’s in those conversations that I learned that this phrase evokes many painful memories […] [which is] why I said I would discourage this language, language that I do not use.”
“He still won’t denounce ‘globalize the intifada,’” Cuomo retorted when Mamdani finished his remarks. “Just say ‘I denounce it.’ He won’t do it.”
Then, Cuomo was criticized for the fact that he did not visit any mosques during his time as governor.
“I don’t think in any way the assemblyman is representative of the Muslim community, which is a vital community in New York City [that] I am very fond of and have been working with,” said Cuomo.
“It took Andrew Cuomo being beaten by a Muslim candidate in the Democratic primary for him to set foot in a mosque,” Mamdani said. “He had more than 10 years, and he couldn’t name a single mosque at the last debate that he had visited.”
Sliwa chimed in with more attacks on Mamdani.
“Jews don’t trust that you’re going to be there for them when they are victims of anti-Semitic attacks,” Sliwa said.
Sliwa was also asked how he would be a mayor for all New Yorkers after his comments, saying there should be more policing for pro-Palestinian protests.
“In order to counteract hate, you have to get the community involved along with the police to protect people when they’re under siege,” Sliwa said. “Jews are under attack now more than ever before, and I don’t believe either of you [Cuomo or Mamdani] have the capabilities of protecting them.”
Mamdani was also called out for his proposal to raise taxes on the top 1% of NYC in order to fund agenda items such as universal childcare and fare-free buses. Only Governor Kathy Hochul has the power to raise rich New Yorkers’ income taxes, and she previously said she wouldn’t do so, preventing Mamdani from achieving this.
However, when asked if he would drop the plan to raise taxes if he found the funding elsewhere, he said he would.
“The most important thing is funding these agenda items, but if the money comes from elsewhere, the most important thing is funding,” said Mamdani.
“Zohran, your fantasies are never going to come about in terms of funding everything you want to be free, free, free,” Sliwa said. “It’s a fantasy. Let’s deal with the reality.”
Although Mamdani is currently ahead of Cuomo and Sliwa in the polls by double-digits, all three candidates were able to distinguish themselves from each other throughout the two-hour-long debate. The candidates may or may not keep up their attacks on one another for the next debate on Oct. 22.
The debate can be found on NBC New York’s YouTube Channel.