The second and last debate of the Huge Apple’s common mayoral race was chockfull of jabs and one-liners because the candidates made their last circumstances to voters earlier than the Nov. 4 election.
The three hopefuls — Democrat Zohran Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa and ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, operating as an impartial — squared off on Spectrum NY1, clashing over their resumes and the way they might method working with President Trump, if elected.
The trio additionally sparred over their varied coverage proposals on the highest points affecting New Yorkers, together with public security, housing and training.
Listed below are the highest 5 moments from Wednesday night time’s debate at LaGuardia Neighborhood School:
1) Cuomo and Sliwa staff as much as skewer Mamdani over non-answers: ‘Don’t be a politician’
Regardless of their animosity towards one another, Sliwa and Cuomo at instances teamed as much as assault Mamdani, together with over his non-response on proposals that might be put forth to voters on Election Day.
“Don’t be a politician,” Sliwa taunted after Mamdani refused to say what he considered the housing-related proposals, noting solely that stated that he was “appreciative that these measures might be on the poll.”
“Oh, what a shocker,” Cuomo sarcastically quipped, earlier than mocking the front-runner with a speaking fingers gesture.
4 of the six questions on the poll are housing-related, together with whether or not to offer extra energy over the zoning course of to the mayor, and away from the Metropolis Council — which supporters argue will fast-track inexpensive housing initiatives. Mamdani has been notably silent on the problem all through the marketing campaign, refusing to stake a public place.
2) Sliwa tells Mamdani: ‘Your resume might match on a cocktail serviette’
Whereas polls nonetheless have Sliwa at a distant third, he wasn’t happening with no struggle.
As Cuomo and Mamdani had been busy bickering with one another, Sliwa took the chance to hammer each of his rivals — whereas additionally taking a swipe on the Dem nominee’s degree of expertise.
“I heard the each of them once more, combating like children within the schoolyard,” Sliwa stated.
“Your resume might match on a cocktail serviette,” he instructed Mamdani, including at Cuomo, “and Andrew, your failures might fill a public college library in New York Metropolis.”
3) What do you say to the 13 ladies you sexually harassed?
Mamdani pulled a stunt to ship a devastating blow towards Cuomo over the sexual misconduct scandal that pressured him out of workplace in 2021.
Cuomo was left visibly rattled when Mamdani identified considered one of his visitors on the debate, Charlotte Bennett, a former state staffer who was the primary girl to go public with accusations towards the then-gov.
“You might have even gone as far as to legally go after these ladies. A type of ladies, Charlotte Bennett, is right here within the viewers this night,” Mamdani stated.
“She can not converse up for herself since you lodged a defamation case towards her. I, nevertheless, can converse – what do you say to the 13 ladies that you just sexually harassed?”
Cuomo stumbled over his response, saying that “if you wish to be in authorities, then it’s a must to be critical and mature,” earlier than including that Mamdani was merely referring to “allegations.”
4) Sliwa rips Cuomo: ‘You fled from being impeached!’
Sliwa additionally discovered a possibility to clobber Cuomo over his sexual misconduct scandal.
“You fled from being impeached by the Democrats within the state legislature!” he stated to applause as Cuomo and Mamdani had been going back-and-forth over the previous governor’s housing file.
State Legal professional Letitia James’ workplace launched its report in 2021 discovering that Cuomo sexually harassed a number of ladies and created a hostile work setting, prompting his resignation.
The three-term Democratic governor has fiercely denied the allegations and insisted he’s harmless of wrongdoing.
5) Trump takes middle stage as Cuomo says prez will knock Mamdani on his ‘tuchus’
Whereas the election is about deciding on the subsequent mayor, President Trump has been a frequent topic all through the marketing campaign path — even weighing in on the candidates publicly.
Throughout a few of the first moments within the debate, the mayoral hopefuls had been every requested how they might deal with working with the White Home, if elected.
Cuomo argued Mamdani wasn’t as much as the duty, saying that Trump “thinks he’s a child and he’s going to knock him on his tuchus.”
“It’s a stability, however you’re going to should be adversarial when it’s essential. However you wish to cooperate to get good issues completed on this metropolis, and also you want federal assist.”
Mamdani shot again that Cuomo was Trump’s “puppet.”
“We first simply heard from the Republican candidate for mayor, after which we heard from Donald Trump’s puppet himself, Andrew Cuomo,” he stated.
“You may activate TV any day of the week, and you’ll hear Donald Trump share that his decide for mayor is Andrew Cuomo, and he desires Andrew Cuomo to be the mayor, not as a result of will probably be good for New Yorkers, however as a result of will probably be good for him.”
The election might be held on Nov. 4, with the nine-day interval of early voting starting this Saturday.
