"Cuomo, now running as an independent, continued to try to cast Mamdani's agenda as too extreme, saying he lacks the experience to lead America's biggest city. Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, countered with attacks on the former governor's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and sexual harassment allegations that Cuomo denies. But after two hours that touched on how the next mayor would deal with President Donald Trump, quality of life issues and affordability, it was unclear whether anyone did enough to move the needle."
"Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo entered Thursday evening's first New York mayoral debate trying to blunt Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani's momentum. Instead he spent much of the contentious face-off on defense, batting away criticisms over his long tenure in office from Mamdani and Republican Curtis Sliwa. For Cuomo the stakes of the face-off were especially high. The debate was one of his last chances to try to convince voters that going with Mamdani, who already defeated the once-powerful governor in the primary this summer, would be a mistake. The race is also Cuomo's attempt at a political comeback after he resigned four years ago following the sexual harassment allegations."
"Mamdani, who spent much of the debate smiling as he tried to maintain the hopeful, charming persona that has characterized his campaign, pushed his affordability agenda and sought to portray himself as a pragmatic liberal rather than a radical ideologue. The race has catapulted him to national political stardom, with Republicans, including Trump, trying to turn him into the face of the Democratic Party by highlighting his most controversial past comments and positions and casting him as dangerous, a communist and an antisemite."
Andrew Cuomo entered the mayoral debate seeking to blunt Zohran Mamdani's momentum but spent much of the night defending his long tenure and record. Mamdani pushed an affordability-focused agenda while portraying himself as a pragmatic liberal and rebutting attacks that paint him as extreme. Cuomo emphasized Mamdani's perceived inexperience and framed the race as part of a political comeback after his resignation. The debate touched on responses to former President Trump, quality-of-life concerns and housing affordability. Curtis Sliwa sought to elevate his underdog Republican campaign amid calls to withdraw. The debate produced no clear winner.
Read at Fortune
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]