NYC Mayoral Debates: Democratic Primary and General Election

The 2025 NYC mayoral debates were four officially sanctioned forums — two in the Democratic primary and two in the general election — in which Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, and Curtis Sliwa fought over sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo, charges of antisemitism against Mamdani, policing, housing costs, and how to handle President Trump. Mamdani was widely viewed as the strongest performer, held a double-digit polling lead throughout the fall, and won the November 4, 2025, election.

Why the Debates Were Required

New York City is one of the few places in the country where mayoral debates are not optional. Any candidate who accepts the city’s voluntary matching-funds program must participate in a series of debates run under rules set by the independent Campaign Finance Board. The format uses two tiers: a broader first debate open to all qualifying candidates, and a “leading contender” debate restricted to those meeting higher fundraising or polling thresholds.¹ That structure shaped who appeared on stage in both the primary and the general election.²

The Democratic Primary Debates

June 4: A Nine-Candidate Scrum

Nine Democrats crowded the first primary debate on June 4, 2025, broadcast by WNBC: Cuomo, Mamdani, Brad Lander, Scott Stringer, Adrienne Adams, Zellnor Myrie, Whitney Tilson, Michael Blake, and Jessica Ramos. The two-hour event had no live audience and ran chaotic, with frequent shouting and interruptions.³

Cuomo, the early front-runner, took most of the incoming. He dismissed Mamdani as inexperienced, saying the assemblyman had “been in government 27 minutes” and passed only three bills. Mamdani called Cuomo beholden to wealthy donors and leaned into his identity as a “progressive Muslim immigrant.” Michael Blake told Cuomo that “the people who don’t feel safe are young women, mothers and grandmothers around Andrew Cuomo. That’s the greatest threat to public safety in New York City.” Speaker Adrienne Adams pushed back on Cuomo’s statement that he had “no regrets,” pointing to his record on Medicaid and child care cuts.³

Immigration dominated long stretches, with candidates broadly opposing President Trump’s deportation agenda. Trump’s name came up more than 80 times over two hours. A rapid-fire segment on personal finances showed housing costs ranging from Cuomo’s $7,800 per month to Myrie’s $1,300.³

June 12: Narrower Field, Sharper Attacks

By the second primary debate, Blake and Ramos had failed to meet the stricter thresholds and the field was down to seven.³ The sexual harassment allegations behind Cuomo’s 2021 resignation as governor moved to the center of the night, along with his handling of nursing home records during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cuomo kept attacking Mamdani’s thin legislative record and his identity as a democratic socialist. Mamdani accused the Cuomo campaign of running Islamophobic mailers.⁴

The primary, held June 24 under ranked-choice voting, broke decisively for Mamdani. He led the first round 43.8% to Cuomo’s 36.1%, and after three rounds of tabulation won 56.4% to 43.6%, a margin of roughly 130,000 votes.⁵ Cuomo did not step aside. He had already filed an independent nominating petition in May under the “Fight and Deliver” ballot line, qualifying for the general election and describing the move as a way to reach voters “disillusioned with the Democratic Party.”⁶

The First General Election Debate: October 16

The three-way general election matched Mamdani, Cuomo, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. WNBC hosted the first debate on October 16, a two-hour event moderated by David Ushery, Melissa Russo, Rosarina Bretón, and Politico’s Sally Goldenberg.⁷ It drew nearly 2.38 million viewers across broadcast and digital, a 190% increase over the June primary debate, with digital streams alone topping 1.45 million views and debate clips generating 34.5 million social-media video views.⁸

Cuomo needed a breakout and did not get one. He recycled primary attacks, pressing Mamdani on past criticism of Barack Obama and on his use of the phrase “globalize the intifada.” Mamdani and Sliwa pushed the conversation back to Cuomo’s record as governor, hitting him on homeless services and mental health funding. When the harassment scandal came up, Cuomo denied wrongdoing, a response Politico noted ate time he could have used to prosecute his case against Mamdani.⁹

Fact-checkers flagged several claims. Cuomo said he had never spoken with President Trump about the race, but the New York Times reported the two had spoken directly over the summer. Cuomo also said five district attorneys reviewed the harassment allegations and “found nothing”; in fact several prosecutors had publicly called the allegations “credible” even while declining to prosecute, citing evidentiary burdens. Mamdani said he had never called for legalizing prostitution, but he had repeatedly sponsored legislation removing criminal penalties for adults buying or selling sex. Sliwa correctly noted he was the only candidate opposing congestion pricing.¹⁰ Politico wrote that Mamdani “dominated the evening” with a “largely pain-free night.”⁹

The Second General Election Debate: October 22

Spectrum News NY1 hosted the final debate, moderated by Errol Louis, WNYC’s Brian Lehrer, and Katie Honan of The City.¹¹ It was sharper and more personal than the first.

The night’s defining moment came when Mamdani pointed to Charlotte Bennett, one of the women who accused Cuomo of sexual harassment, seated in the audience. Mamdani addressed Cuomo directly: “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.” He then asked, “What do you say to the 13 women that you sexually harassed?” Cuomo answered: “Everything you just stated, you just said, was a misstatement, which we’re accustomed to.”¹²

The reference carried real legal weight. In April 2025 Bennett had settled a lawsuit against New York State for $450,000, resolving claims that state officials failed to prevent Cuomo’s alleged harassment; Cuomo was not a party.¹³ In December 2024, Cuomo filed a defamation suit against Bennett in Manhattan state Supreme Court, seeking compensatory and punitive damages and calling her claims “false and defamatory.” Bennett’s attorney Debra Katz described the suit as an attempt to “silence and punish accusers of sexual harassment.”¹⁴ Criminal cases against Cuomo had been dropped, but a federal lawsuit from a state trooper remained pending at the time of the debate.¹⁵

Cuomo questioned Mamdani’s qualifications in blunt terms: “I did things; you have never had a job. There is no reason to believe you have any merit or qualification for 8.5 million lives.” Mamdani turned it back on Cuomo’s governorship: “The issue is that we have all experienced your experience. The city has been getting screwed by the state. You were leading the state.”¹⁶

Antisemitism came up repeatedly. Cuomo and Sliwa accused Mamdani of promoting hatred against Jewish New Yorkers and failing to denounce “Globalize the Intifada.” Mamdani denied the charges, said he had “never, not once, spoken in support of global jihad,” and attributed the attacks to his position as the first Muslim candidate close to winning a New York City mayoral election.¹⁷

Pressed on six pending ballot proposals covering housing reform, election timing, and a sports complex on forest land, Mamdani conceded he had not yet taken a position, drawing criticism from both opponents. On policing, all three said they would ask NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch to stay on. All three rejected a recent ICE raid on Canal Street, though they split on how to deal with the Trump administration: Cuomo said a mayor must “confront” Trump, Sliwa advocated negotiation, and Mamdani pledged to end all collaboration with federal immigration authorities.¹⁶

Where the Candidates Landed on Policy

Underneath the clashes, the debates drew out real policy daylight among the three candidates.

On housing, Mamdani proposed freezing rents for stabilized tenants and building 200,000 low-income units over ten years. Cuomo emphasized strengthening tax exemption programs and partnering with NYCHA. Sliwa opposed the “City of Yes” zoning overhaul and pushed to convert commercial space into housing and restore 28,000 vacant rent-controlled apartments.¹⁸
On public safety, Cuomo proposed adding 5,000 NYPD officers and Sliwa 7,000. Mamdani proposed a Department of Community Safety focused on mental health response and a 275% increase in funding for the city’s Crisis Management System. Mamdani walked back earlier calls to “defund the police” and apologized for past remarks calling officers “racist” and “wicked.”¹⁸¹⁶
On Rikers Island, Mamdani was the only candidate committed to closing the jail complex as existing law requires. Cuomo and Sliwa said they would repair the current facility.¹⁹
On immigration, Mamdani pledged to end all local cooperation with federal immigration authorities and proposed $165 million in legal defense funding for immigrants. Cuomo supported legal aid for immigrants with active cases and wanted ICE agents to unmask during operations. Sliwa supported ICE enforcement so long as it did not interfere with NYPD operations.¹⁸
On wages, Mamdani proposed raising the minimum wage to $30 per hour by 2030. Cuomo and Sliwa opposed an increase. Sliwa was also the only candidate opposing congestion pricing.¹⁹

Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels and the 2021 Republican nominee, fought for airtime throughout both general debates. He appeared without his signature red beret, told moderators at one point “Excuse me, I’m being marginalized out of this,” and named Ronald Reagan the best modern-day president after initially naming George Pataki.²⁰²¹ Reaction split: a New York Times roundtable had columnist Nicole Gelinas calling him the first debate’s winner for his “easy fluency on issues,” while Mara Gay called his cultural references “badly dated.”²²

The Super PAC Fight That Framed the Debates

Money sat behind nearly every exchange about Cuomo. An independent expenditure committee called “Fix the City” became, in the New York Times’s description, the biggest PAC in city history. It raised over $32 million and spent more than $30 million, including roughly $19.3 million supporting Cuomo and $10.6 million opposing Mamdani.²³ Donors included former Mayor Michael Bloomberg at $8.3 million, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman at $750,000, Ronald Lauder at $750,000, Steve Wynn and Barry Diller at $500,000 each, and multiple members of the Tisch family.²⁴

The Campaign Finance Board issued a preliminary finding suggesting the Cuomo campaign may have improperly coordinated with Fix the City. Mamdani and others petitioned the board to lift the $8 million spending cap for participating candidates. The board denied the request, saying existing law did not allow expenditure relief in that situation.²⁵ Mamdani worked the theme into the debates themselves, telling audiences: “They’re spending more money than I would even tax them.”²⁴

What the Debates Did to the Race

The debates did not move the race. An October Marist poll of 792 likely voters, conducted October 24–28, had Mamdani at 48%, Cuomo at 32%, and Sliwa at 16%, with only 3% undecided. Among registered Democrats, Mamdani led Cuomo 63% to 31%. Among Republicans, Sliwa led Cuomo 59% to 33%. Non-enrolled voters were the most competitive segment, with Cuomo narrowly ahead of Mamdani 36% to 34%. Cuomo’s favorability sat at 40% favorable to 55% unfavorable; Mamdani’s was 57% favorable.²⁶

On November 4, 2025, Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City, defeating Cuomo and Sliwa. He takes office on January 1, 2026.²⁷

1
NYC Campaign Finance Board. Campaign Finance Board Recommends Changes to Debate Program
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NYC Campaign Finance Board. Final Schedule Qualified Candidates for NYC’s Official Citywide General Election Debates
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The New York Times. NYC Mayoral Debate
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NBC New York. Biggest Takeaways Final Democratic Debate NYC Mayor Primary
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NYC Board of Elections. RCV Results – Democratic Primary for Mayor
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ABC News. Cuomo to Stay on New York City Mayoral Ballot in November
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NBC New York. NYC Mayor Primary Debate Rules
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NBC New York. NYC Mayor Debate WNBC WNJU Ratings
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Politico. Five Takeaways From the New York City Mayoral Debate
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The New York Times. NYC Mayor Debate Fact Check
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The New York Times. NYC Mayoral Debate Moderators
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NBC News. Zohran Mamdani Andrew Cuomo Trade Insults Final NYC Mayoral Debate
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The New York Times. Cuomo Charlotte Bennett Settlement
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City & State NY. Cuomo Sues Former Aide Charlotte Bennett for Defamation
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City & State NY. Key Moments Final NYC Mayoral Debate
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CNN. NYC Mayoral Debate Takeaways
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Al Jazeera. Mamdani Cuomo Clash in Final NYC Mayoral Debate Key Takeaways
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Documented NY. NYC Mayoral Candidates Immigrant Policies Comparison
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The New York Times. NYC Mayor Debate – Where the Race Stands
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Politico. Sliwa Debate New York
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Fox 5 NY. NYC Mayoral First Debate Live Updates
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The New York Times. NYC Mayor Debate Mamdani Cuomo Sliwa
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NYC Campaign Finance Board. Fix the City, Inc. – Independent Spender Summary
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CNBC. Mamdani Cuomo NYC Mayor Bid Billionaire Spending
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City & State NY. Pro-Cuomo PAC Responsible for Nearly Half All Outside Spending Across All NYC Primary Elections
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Marist Poll. NYC Mayor’s Race October 2025
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ABC 7 NY. Election Day 2025 NYC Mayoral Race Results