Who won the first NYC mayoral debate? Post Panelists weigh in

"All the candidates did well - and that's the problem for New Yorkers who don't want a socialist mayor," Republican strategist Bill O'Reilly told The Post. "Will that be enough to change the nature of this race? We'll see over the next few days." Marist University Institute for Public Opinion Director Lee Miringoff also poured cold water on the idea that any major change would materialize before the Nov. 4 election."

"Zohran Mamdani entered the first general mayoral election debate as the front-runner and left the same way -despite some strong performances from his rivals, a Post panel of political experts said. Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa "did what they needed to do" Thursday by repeatedly hitting the Democratic candidate on tough issues like Israel, his past calls to defund the police and his lack of experience. But it may still not be enough to move the needle."

"One of veteran Democratic strategist Bill Cunningham's main takeaways was that Mamdani held his ground and that Sliwa had a strong performance. But "I don't think it'll have much impact unless the 10% that's sort of undecided starts to drift towards him, but that's not enough to elect the mayor," Cunningham said. "I don't think Mamdani lost any of his supporters and I don't think Cuomo landed any punches that shook the race up.""

Zohran Mamdani remained the front-runner after the first general mayoral debate despite forceful performances from rivals. Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa repeatedly targeted Mamdani on Israel, his past calls to defund the police, and his limited experience. A Fox News poll showed Mamdani at 52% of likely voters, Cuomo at 28% and Sliwa at 14%. Political strategists and poll directors reported no immediate shift in voter sentiment and no defining 'aha' moment. Strategists warned that challenger performances may not be sufficient to move undecided voters significantly before the election.

Read at New York Post