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5 takeaways from the final New York City mayor’s debate from the Hill Julia Manchester

The three candidates in New York City’s mayoral race took to the debate stage for the final time on Wednesday less than two weeks out from Election Day. 

There was no shortage of fireworks between Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (D), former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who’s now running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa, with Cuomo and Sliwa frequently ganging up on Mamdani. 

However, with numerous polls continuing to show Mamdani on an apparent glide path to the mayor’s office, it’s unclear if Wednesday’s debate will move the needle. 

Here are five takeaways from the final New York City mayoral debate. 

Cuomo-Mamdani rivalry turns into a knife fight 

The final debate was Cuomo’s last chance to put Mamdani on defense on stage and position himself as the safest option to lead New York. Cuomo repeatedly chided Mamdani for what he said was his inexperience and pie-in-the-sky ideas. Cuomo also sought to back Mamdani into a corner over criticism he has received over his views on Israel. 

“I did things. You’ve never had a job. You’ve never accomplished anything. There’s no reason to believe you merit or qualification for eight and a half million lives,” Cuomo said. “You never showed up for work and you missed eighty percent of the votes. Shame on you.”

Mamdani came prepared for Cuomo, referring to him as “a desperate man” who is losing power and will “amplify rightwing talking points.” The progressive assemblyman also referred to the former governor as “Donald Trump’s puppet.” 

“You can turn on TV any day of the week and you will hear Donald Trump share that his pick for mayor is Andrew Cuomo. And he wants Andrew Cuomo to be mayor not because it’ll be good for New Yorkers but because it’ll be good for him,” Mamdani said. 

The exchanges between Mamdani and Cuomo got so heated at times that Spectrum News moderator Errol Louis had to ask the two to stop talking over each other. 

There was one moment of levity between the two candidates when Mamdani was asked if Cuomo got anything right during the pandemic. Mamdani commented that the process he went through to receive a COVID-19 shot was efficient. Cuomo thanked Mamdani for the compliment, prompting Mamdani to quip he received it at a city-run facility. 

Cuomo aims to stoke fear around Trump if Mamdani wins 

While Mamdani was seeking to link Cuomo to Trump, Cuomo sought to warn New Yorkers about how Trump would treat the city if Mamdani is elected. 

“President Trump has to respect you,” Cuomo said, citing his own experience working with the first Trump administration when he was New York governor. “He will take over NYC if Mamdani wins, he thinks he’s a kid and will knock him on his tuchus.” 

Cuomo’s remarks appear to be part of an effort to flip Mamdani’s claim that Cuomo is a vehicle of Trump’s on its face. 

Trump has said he will not get involved in his hometown’s mayoral race, but has been vocal about his disdain for the idea of Mamdani serving as mayor. 

However, Trump has also said that a Mamdani win would be a political “gift” for the Republican Party. 

Prior to the debate on Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has told allies he believes Mamdani is unbeatable in the mayoral race. 

Sliwa gets some notable moments

As a Republican, Sliwa has long been considered a long shot in the race to lead the liberal bastion of New York City. He has also faced pressure to drop out, with Cuomo’s allies arguing that he is boosting Mamdani’s chances by staying in the race. 

The firebrand Republican made it clear he’s not going out without a fight, and he had a number of notable moments during Wednesday’s debate.

Sliwa often received applause for his attack lines against Cuomo and Mamdani. At one point, Sliwa accused Cuomo of fleeing his post as governor amid a possible impeachment by the state legislature over sexual harassment allegations. 

“Andrew, you didn’t leave,” Sliwa said, turning to face Cuomo. “You fled from being impeached by the Democrats in the state legislature.”

Sliwa also sought to position himself as the adult in the room, referring to Cuomo and Mamdani as “two school kids” multiple times in the debate. 

A rowdy audience brings the energy

Unlike the first mayoral debate, the final debate featured a live audience. While debate audiences are normally encouraged to remain quiet during forums, Wednesday’s audience broke into cheers and applause throughout the hour-and-a-half-long event.

All three candidates received applause from supporters in the audience, who repeatedly reacted to the jabs thrown among the candidates throughout the evening. 

Mamdani was also responsible for one of the most dramatic moments of the night, when he announced that he brought former Cuomo aide Charlotte Bennett as his guest. Bennett was one of the women who accused Cuomo of sexual harassment during his time as governor. 

“One of those women, Charlotte Bennett, is here in the audience this evening,” Mamdani said, confronting Cuomo. “You sought to access her private gynecological records. She cannot speak up for herself because you lodged a defamation case against her. I, however, can speak. What do you say to the 13 you sexually harassed?” 

Cuomo responded by arguing that the cases were dropped. 

No game-changer

Wednesday’s debate could be considered must-see television for political junkies enthralled by the mayoral race, which took an unpredictable turn with the rise of Mamdani. 

But it’s doubtful that the event will change many minds. While there were certainly fireworks and notable exchanges, there were no major news-making moments. And it’s unclear whether a 90-minute debate will change any minds less than two weeks out from Election Day. 

Despite attacks from his opponents and political figures including Trump, nothing seems to be getting in the way of Mamdani’s ascension to Gracie Mansion. 

A survey released by AARP and Gotham Polling on Monday showed Mamdani with a 43.2 percent lead, followed by Cuomo at 28.9 percent and Sliwa at 19.4 percent. 

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