Mamdani, Cuomo clash in final NYC mayoral debate: Key takeaways

Frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, erstwhile Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa faced disconnected successful the last statement of the New York City mayoral contention connected Wednesday, successful a last propulsion to woo voters earlier the November 4 vote.

But the onslaught lines they deployed against each other, and their defences, were mostly on predictable lines, arsenic their way records, United States President Donald Trump and Israel’s warfare connected Gaza dominated their clash astatine LaGuardia Community College successful the borough of Queens.

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Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, maintains a sizeable pb successful the polls, aft surging to a astonishment triumph successful the June superior connected a level of affordability: pushing escaped buses, rent freezes, and cosmopolitan childcare, paid for, successful part, by raising taxes that favour the wealthy.

Cuomo has sought to represent Mamdani’s promises – astir of which would necessitate buy-in from authorities lawmakers – arsenic unrealistic and has repeatedly taken purpose astatine the 34-year-old Democratic Socialist’s deficiency of acquisition successful governing. The contention has narrowed since the existent mayor, Eric Adams, exited the race, leaving conscionable Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliva successful the contest.

Here were the apical takeaways from the debate:

Experience versus the future

The nighttime began with Cuomo and Mamdani hammering location the themes that person defined the last agelong of the race.

Cuomo called himself the campaigner who “can get it done, not conscionable speech astir it”.

“He’s ne'er tally anything, managed anything. He’s ne'er had a existent job,” helium said of Mamdani.

Mamdani called himself the “sole campaigner moving with a imaginativeness for the aboriginal of this city”.

“He is simply a hopeless antheral lashing retired due to the fact that helium knows that the 1 happening he’s ever cared about, power, is present slipping distant from him,” Mamdani said of Cuomo.

Later successful the night, Sliwa took a swipe astatine some his opponents: “Zohran, your resume could acceptable connected a cocktail napkin, and Andrew, your failures could capable a nationalist schoolhouse room successful New York City.”

Countering Trump

The US president has loomed ample implicit the New York City mayoral race. Wednesday’s statement besides came hours aft migration agents raided Manhattan’s Chinatown, an escalation of national enforcement measures successful America’s largest city.

Trump has pledged to deploy the National Guard and to chopped national backing to the metropolis if Mamdani is elected. Cuomo, who shares galore of the aforesaid donors arsenic Trump, has seized connected those threats to represent a triumph for his rival arsenic unsafe for the city.

“[Trump] has said he’ll instrumentality implicit New York if Mamdani wins, and helium will, due to the fact that helium has nary respect for him. He [Trump] thinks he’s a kid, and he’s going to sound him [Mamdani] connected his tuchus,” Cuomo said.

“I judge [Trump] wants Mamdani, that is his dream, due to the fact that helium volition usage him politically each crossed our country, and helium volition instrumentality implicit New York City,” helium said. “Make nary mistake, it volition beryllium President Trump and Mayor Trump.”

Mamdani called Cuomo “Donald Trump’s puppet”.

“You could crook connected the TV immoderate time of the week, and you volition perceive Donald Trump stock that his prime for politician is Andrew Cuomo, and helium wants Andrew Cuomo to beryllium the mayor, not due to the fact that it volition beryllium bully for New Yorkers, but due to the fact that it volition beryllium bully for him,” helium said.

Support for Palestine again looms large

Mamdani was again asked astir his staunch enactment for Palestinian rights, which Cuomo has repeatedly decried, baselessly, arsenic anti-Semitic.

Mamdani said helium “will beryllium the politician who doesn’t conscionable support Jewish New Yorkers, but besides celebrates and cherishes them”. He said Cuomo was utilizing mendacious claims of anti-Semitism to “score governmental points”.

Cuomo accused him of stoking “the flames of hatred against Jewish people”.

Sliwa falsely accused Mamdani of endorsing “global jihad”.

“That is not thing that I person said and that continues to beryllium ascribed to me,” Mamdani responded, “and frankly, I deliberation overmuch of it has to bash with the information that I americium the archetypal Muslim campaigner to beryllium connected the precipice of winning this election.”

Mamdani announces prime for constabulary commissioner

The starring campaigner besides broke immoderate quality during the debate, announcing helium would inquire existent Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to enactment connected successful her station if helium wins.

That whitethorn upset immoderate of Mamdani’s supporters, who could spot the constabulary chief, who is serving nether existent Mayor Adams, arsenic retired of measurement with the constabulary reforms helium has promised.

Tisch, whose household is worthy billions, has championed expanding alleged “quality of life” enforcement that critics accidental disproportionately harms number communities. She has besides pushed to marque immoderate transgression laws stricter.

Cuomo grilled connected intersexual assault

Cuomo was repeatedly asked by his opponents astir the intersexual misconduct allegations from his employees that saw him permission his station arsenic New York politician aboriginal successful 2021.

Investigators with the authorities lawyer wide aboriginal recovered that Cuomo had “sexually harassed a fig of existent and erstwhile New York State employees”.

Cuomo has claimed the cases person been closed “legally”, but litigation successful respective cases continues.

During the debate, Mamdani revealed that 1 accuser, Charlotte Bennett, who Cuomo is presently suing for defamation, was successful the audience.

“What bash you accidental to the 13 women who you sexually harassed?” helium asked Cuomo.

Cuomo pushed back, arguing that the intersexual harassment cases person been dropped. “What you conscionable said was a misstatement, which we’re accustomed to,” helium responded to Mamdani.