The final New York City mayoral debate on Wednesday night produced a rare moment of unity between independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
The two rivals who have spent days locked in a bitter feud over who should drop out of the race both delighted in Democrat Zohran Mamdani’s refusal to take a position on controversial ballot proposals that would weaken the City Council’s power to approve housing.
“What is your opinion, Zohran?” Sliwa said tauntingly. “Don’t be a politician here.”
“Yes or no?” Cuomo yelled. “Answer the question for once.”
The questions on the ballot have major implications for development in the city. If approved, one measure would do away with “member deference,” when the City Council defers to the local member when voting on a large project. The practice, critics say, has stymied housing development in certain neighborhoods, fueling the city’s affordability crisis.
Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary thanks to a relentless focus on affordability, said he did not have a position on any of the ballot questions, including whether the city should move local elections to even years.
“I have not yet taken a position on those ballot amendments,” he said.
“Oh, what a shocker!” Cuomo said. “Don’t worry once he takes [a position] he’ll change it anyway.”
But the Cuomo-Sliwa team-up was fleeting. Their combined attacks during the 90-minute debate highlighted Mamdani’s strategy to avoid risk during the general election, but did not seem to fundamentally change the race. Some of the most spirited exchanges underscored that Sliwa is fighting until the bitter end. And Cuomo, who is polling in second, has said his chances of winning are unlikely without Sliwa dropping out.
The debate co-hosted by WNYC, NY1 and the news site The City was the final opportunity for Cuomo and Sliwa to try to knock Mamdani off-balance. Polls show Mamdani with a double-digit lead over Cuomo. Sliwa is a distant third.
Both Cuomo and Sliwa also attacked Mamdani on the question of what kind of mayor he would be for Jewish New Yorkers.
Moderator Errol Louis noted that several prominent rabbis have spoken out against Mamdani’s candidacy. When Mamdani said he would be a mayor that protects and “celebrates and cherishes” Jewish New Yorkers, Cuomo pounced.
“You are the savior of the Jewish people?” he said adding, “You won’t denounce ‘Globalize the intifada’, which means kill the Jews.” (Mamdani has said he’ll discourage use of the phrase.)
Sliwa said that his two sons, who are Jewish, are fearful of a Mamdani administration because of statements attributed to him, “like in support of global Jihad.”
Mamdani said while he believed there was room for disagreement on his positions, words were being put in his mouth.
“ I have never, not once, spoken in support of global Jihad,” said Mamdani. “That is not something that I have said and that continues to be ascribed to me. And frankly, I think much of it has to do with the fact that I’m the first Muslim candidate to be on the precipice of winning this election.”
All three candidates aggressively traded attacks over experience, public safety, education and who would better stand up to President Donald Trump. On Tuesday, a federal crackdown on vendors in Chinatown hinted at the immigration enforcement likely to accelerate in the coming months.
Mamdani described ICE as a “reckless entity” that does not care about the law or the people it is supposed to be protecting. He said the city needed to, “end the chapter of collaboration between City Hall and the federal government, which we’ve seen under Mayor [Eric] Adams.”
He also said the city should pass street vending reforms introduced at the City Council to both protect vendors and quality of life.
“With Trump, it’s the art of the deal,” Sliwa said, arguing that a tough talking approach would backfire with the president. “You have to be able to show respect.”
Cuomo touted his experience butting heads with Trump when he served as governor during the pandemic, saying he was able to protect the state from a quarantine. “I’ve confronted him and I have beaten him,” Cuomo said.
He argued that Trump would take advantage of Mamdani if he wins. “He’s a kid and he’s gonna knock him on his tuchus,” Cuomo said.
Both Sliwa and Mamdani sought to remind voters of why Cuomo resigned as governor, each mentioning the 13 women who alleged they’d been sexually harassed the governor. Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing and said he resigned to prevent distractions and be “respectful to state government.”
Two of Cuomo’s accusers, Charlotte Bennett and Karen Hinton, attended the debate.
Cuomo has repeatedly sought to cast Mamdani as too left-leaning and inexperienced to run the country’s biggest city. But in a move that could allay criticisms that he would be weak on public safety, the 34-year-old assemblymember announced during the debate that he planned to keep Jessica Tisch as NYPD police commissioner.
Sliwa and Cuomo doubted that Tisch would accept a job offer from Mamdani, saying the two differed too much on criminal justice policies.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and business leaders have called on the next mayor to retain Tisch, a technocrat who is viewed as having helped the NYPD rein in overtime and tackle corruption.
Sliwa became a viral star of last week’s debate by recounting his colorful past, which includes a failed mob hit on his life. He grabbed attention with his fiery refusals to drop out of the race to clear a path to victory for Cuomo.
He was similarly animated during Wednesday night’s debate. After Mamdani said he would rank Sliwa second on a hypothetical ranked choice ballot, Sliwa responded “Don’t glaze me!” using slang for showering someone with excessive praise.
Both Sliwa and Cuomo said they would only rank themselves.
Aside from pressuring Sliwa to drop out, Cuomo appears to have another trick up his sleeve. Following the debate, he was seen courtside at the Knicks game in Madison Square Garden with Mayor Eric Adams. The mayor, who is deeply unpopular and not running for a second term, has said he is considering weighing in with an endorsement.
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