In the second New York City mayoral debate on Wednesday night, former Governor Andrew Cuomo sharply criticized front-runner Zohran Mamdani's lack of experience and legislative record. The clash highlighted divisions in the race among Democratic nominee Mamdani, independent Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Polls show Mamdani leading but vulnerable if anti-Mamdani votes consolidate.
The debate featured Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and state Assemblyman, facing off against Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary, and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate and founder of the Guardian Angels citizen patrol group from the 1970s and 1980s.
Cuomo targeted Mamdani's background, accusing him of having no professional experience. 'You have never had a job. You’ve never accomplished anything. There’s no reason to believe you have any merit or qualification for 8.5 million lives. You don’t know how to run a government, you don’t know how to handle an emergency, and you’ve literally never proposed the bill on anything that you’re not talking about in your campaign. You had the worst attendance record in the assembly, and you gave yourselves the highest raise in the United States of America. You went from 110,000 to $140,000, and then you never showed up for work and you missed 80% of the votes. Shame on you!' Cuomo said.
Mamdani, 33, focused on affordability issues, proposing city-owned grocery stores and a $30 minimum wage. Sliwa, praised for his performance, refused calls to drop out, citing personal security risks. 'I have armed security guards now protecting my life... If anything happens to me or anything happens to my wife because of this frenzy... it’s on you guys,' he stated.
Recent Patriot Polling shows Mamdani at 43% overall, Cuomo at 34%, and Sliwa at 19%. Among foreign-born voters, Mamdani leads with 62% to Cuomo's 24%. Native-born voters favor Cuomo at 40% over Mamdani's 32%. An AARP/Gotham poll has Mamdani at 43.2%, Cuomo at 28.9%, and Sliwa at 19.4%, with many older voters undecided.
A New York Post report claims TikTok's algorithm amplifies pro-Mamdani content while suppressing Cuomo's. On Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams endorsed Cuomo to counter Mamdani, pledging to mobilize black and brown communities: 'I think it is imperative to really wake up the black and brown communities.' Early voting begins soon, with the race tightening among key demographics.