WASHINGTON (TNND) — The race for New York City mayor is intensifying after a contentious debate on Thursday night, during which Democratic frontrunner Zohran Mamdani struggled to explain how he would fund his sweeping — and costly — policy agenda.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman and self-described democratic socialist, faced pointed questions from moderators and sharp criticism from his rivals over his proposed $10 billion in new city programs, which include free universal childcare, rent freezes, and fare-free public buses.
Pressed multiple times to clarify how he would fund what critics have called “$10 billion in freebies,” Mamdani offered few specifics beyond his familiar campaign line: raising taxes on New Yorkers earning more than $1 million a year.
“We will fund the revenue that would otherwise have been brought in from fares,” Mamdani said when asked how he would make public buses free. “Raise taxes on the top 1% of New Yorkers.”
Debate moderators were quick to note that Governor Kathy Hochul — who has endorsed Mamdani but faces her own re-election next year — has repeatedly said she does not support raising state income taxes.
When pressed again on the overall price tag of his agenda, Mamdani deflected the question. “A lot of people called my campaign a non-starter when we first began,” he said. “What I don’t have in experience, I make up for in integrity.”
His top challenger, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, accused Mamdani of making promises he can’t afford to keep — calling the rent freeze plan “half-baked.”
“Freeze the rent only postpones the rent,” Cuomo said. “It does nothing for the majority of renters who aren’t in rent-stabilized units.”
Cuomo, running as an independent, also found himself on the defensive, pressed on his resignation as governor in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations and controversy over his administration’s handling of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was a political report,” Cuomo said. “There was no basis to it.”
The debate also turned heated over the war between Israel and Hamas — an issue that has dogged Mamdani throughout the campaign. Moderators confronted him about past comments viewed as sympathetic toward Hamas, citing an interview where he declined to say whether the militant group should disarm.
“Of course, I believe they should lay down their arms,” Mamdani said Thursday, attempting to clarify his position.
With less than three weeks until Election Day, Mamdani continues to lead in most public polls, but Cuomo is gaining traction among moderate Democrats. The two are set to meet again next week for their final debate before voters cast their ballots on October 29.