In a fiery and combative final Democratic mayoral debate Thursday night, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Queens Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani were the main sparring partners. However, Cuomo took more attacks from rivals who zeroed in on his past governance, labor issues, and legal scandals in an effort to narrow his lead.
The former governor did have one ally on the stage at John Jay College on Manhattan’s west side: Whitney Tilson. The former hedge fund manager was the only candidate to say who he would rank second on the ballot, giving the moderate Cuomo the nod. He said after the debate that he has no interest in a job in a possible Cuomo administration, only that he wants to stop the progressive Mamdani from winning the race.
Mamdani repeatedly came after Cuomo for mispronouncing his name, saying, “My name is Mamdani, ‘M‑A‑M‑D‑A‑N‑I’, you should learn how to say it.”
The Queens Assembly member also cited a mailer sent out by a Cuomo-backing Super PAC that darkened and lengthened his beard, which the candidate described as “blatant Islamophobia.”
Cuomo denied an responsibility in the pamphlet, and took aim at Mamdani’s experience: “He’s never done any of the essentials. And now you have Donald Trump on top of all of that.”
Mamdani defended his youth and four-year tenure as an Assembly member after moderators asked if he had enough experience to run the city. “Judge me by the campaign that I am running, a campaign we began with about two full time employees polling at 1% that has now grown to be one, where we manage over 36,000 volunteers that have knocked on nearly a million doors,” he said. “What I will deliver to New York City is what I’ve been delivering in this race, innovation and competence.”
Cuomo dismissed the idea of a newcomer running City Hall, saying, “A job looks easy when you haven’t done it. Experience matters.”
A poll released Wednesday night showed Mamdani leading front-runner Cuomo for the first time, though a separate poll conducted around the same time showed the former governor maintaining a comfortable double-digit advantage.
The strikes at Cuomo intensified as Lander and revisited the former governor’s 2021 resignation following multiple sexual harassment allegations, which the former governor denies.
“Everybody here knows that you sexually harassed women, that you created a toxic work environment,” said Lander. “I don’t want to have to tell [a young female college student he met at a recent graduation], ‘Don’t go work at City Hall because the mayor is a sexual harasser.’”
Cuomo accused Lander of lying: “Those are just bold‑faced lies.” He pushed back, calling the allegations “political” and insisting reports had “cleared” him, to scattered boos from the crowd.
After the debate, Attorney General Letitia James said the 2021 report into the allegations was “thorough” and not political.
Another point of contention was over how they would represent New Yorkers of different faiths, particularly Muslims and Jews.
Cuomo was asked whether he had ever publicly visited a mosque during his tenure as governor. He responded, “I believe I have… I would have to check the record,” and when pressed further, admitted, “Off the top of my head, I can’t tell you where I went.”
Asked how he would reassure Muslim New Yorkers of their safety and belonging, Cuomo said, “We are a city of immigrants. I welcome them. I love them,” before pivoting to a jab at Mamdani, saying, “I’m not Mr. Mamdani. I’m not antisemitic. I’m not divisive.”
“The reason he doesn’t have a message for Muslim New Yorkers is because he has nothing to say to us, because he doesn’t see us as if we are every other New Yorker,” Mamdani countered, rejecting accusations of antisemitism, saying he had spoken with Jewish New Yorkers who fear for their safety and pledged to support them.
“I will protect Jewish New Yorkers and deliver them that safety,” he said. “And ultimately, what I will also say is to New Yorkers who have a disagreement with me on any issue, but also on the question of the Israeli government’s policies, that that disagreement I know is rooted in a shared sense of humanity.”
Focus on immigration
Cuomo opened the immigration portion of the debate by touting his readiness to stand up to President Donald Trump. “Donald Trump only picks fights that he can win. He cannot win a fight with me as mayor of New York,” Cuomo said, in response to a question about how he would handle Trump sending ICE agents or federal troops to the city.
He pledged to protect the city’s sanctuary status, declaring, “We are going to defend the laws of the sanctuary city. We have an NYPD that is the largest police force in the United States of America.”
Trump has so far deployed 700 active duty Marines and 4,000 members of the National Guard to quell protests in Los Angeles. Trump has faced backlash from Democrats across the country for the deployment, with elected officials accusing Trump of intentionally fanning the flame as protests spread.
But Mamdani pushed back, accusing the NYPD of aiding ICE even under sanctuary policies.
“We also have the NYPD assisting ICE in some of those very missions right here in New York City,” he said. He promised to sever those ties if elected mayor. “When I am the mayor, the NYPD will serve the public safety of New Yorkers. They will not assist Trump’s ICE agents.”
Cuomo and Mamdani each presented plans Tuesday for how they would respond if Trump did send troops to New York.
Lander stressed that standing up to Trump wasn’t just about rhetoric.
“I stand up to bullies that don’t back down from a fight… we’re going to protect the 40% of New Yorkers who are immigrants,” he said, recounting his visits to immigration court to escort families past ICE agents.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams evoked her lawsuit to block ICE re-establishing on offices on Rikers Island, and emphasized her willingness to fight a “lawless President” in court if necessary, saying she will continue to “protect our laws and our immigrants.”
Immigration also sparked a sharp exchange over Cuomo’s record. Lander accused the former governor of allowing immigrant subway cleaners to be underpaid and denied health care benefits.
Cuomo denied any involvement and referred to the cleaners as “illegals,” prompting jeers from the crowd.
“The MTA goes through a rigorous contracting process. They should never have hired illegal immigrants, if it is true… I had nothing to do with it,” he said. When pressed, he said sarcastically, “So every contract at the MTA, you want me to be held responsible?”
Tilson took aim at Mamdani with a more veiled swipe, criticizing “a social media phenom with cute videos,” and warning voters not to support “pie-in-the-sky promises that there’s no realistic plan to pay for.” When Cuomo asked Tilson whether Mamdani’s tax plans were realistic he said, “The math doesn’t add up. His tax plan is delusional.”
Mamdani countered by saying, “I’ll pay for it by taxing the rich … the same ones who are funding Andrew Cuomo’s campaign.”
Halfway through the evening, candidates were allowed to ask each other a question, with state Senator Zellnor Myrie and former Comptroller Scott Stringer both setting Adams up with softball questions that allowed her to lay out her record as an experienced, steady hand “already doing the job.”
After the debate, Adams said she hoped the move meant the candidates were planning to cross-endorse her. When asked by reporters, Myrie said to “stay tuned.”
Early voting begins Saturday. Primary Day is June 24.
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