Second Debate Looms in NYC Race | Battleground NYC full episode #59: Oct 20, 2025
As the candidates prepare for the second general election debate this week in the race for NYC Mayor, how are they preparing and also making their last pitches to voters? Morgan McKay, a political reporter with FOX 5 New York. joins host S.E. Cupp to discuss this and the latest headlines from the campaign trail. S.E. is also joined by Pete Sikora, who runs the Super PAC Livable Future, a PAC supporting Zohran Mamdani, a PAC targeting voters in parts of the Bronx and Brooklyn.
NEW YORK – Just days before early voting begins, New York City’s three mayoral contenders will meet for the final time Wednesday night in what could be their last chance to sway voters.
Big picture view:
Democratic frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, Independent candidate and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa return to the debate stage after a fiery first round that saw sharp exchanges over affordability, crime, and President Donald Trump’s deepening role in city politics.Â
SKIP TO: Andrew Cuomo | Zohran Mamdani | Curtis Sliwa
When is the debate?
Wednesday’s two-hour debate, hosted by Spectrum NY1, The City, and WNYC/Gothamist, begins at 7 p.m.Â
It’s the final major moment before early voting opens Saturday and the last opportunity for each candidate to make their case for the future of New York.
Who won the last debate? 
Why you should care:
While no clear winner emerged, analysts say Mamdani held his lead by avoiding major missteps, Cuomo relied on his executive experience, and Sliwa’s offbeat humor and streetwise anecdotes, including stories about his mafia run-ins, made him an unlikely social media favorite.
Ben Max, host of the Max Politics podcast, joined Good Day New York on Friday morning with his analysis of the debate.
When asked if anyone won last night, Max said there were no “game changers” from the debate, meaning “Zohran Mamdani, as the front-runner, had a pretty good debate because he didn’t make any huge gaff and nobody brought him down significantly.”
Max added: “But I did think, in the debate itself, if you just look at how it was debated, Curtis Sliwa had a pretty good night.”
Will Sliwa drop out? 
Sliwa Defies Exit Calls | Battleground NYC full episode #60: Oct 21, 2025
New York City billionaires, editorial boards and even independent candidate Andrew Cuomo are doing their best to get Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa to drop out of the race for mayor, but he says he’s in this race until the end. S.E. Cupp is joined by Chris Sommerfeldt, senior city hall reporter for the New York Daily News, to discuss this and the latest from the campaign trail. S.E. is also joined by former New York Congressman Steve Israel to get his thoughts on the NYC Mayor’s race, the national impact of the race and insight into his new book, The Einstein Conspiracy.
What they’re saying:
Since that first debate, the political pressure has only intensified.Â
Several conservative voices, including Trump ally John Catsimatidis and the editorial boards of the New York Post and Daily News, have urged Sliwa to drop out to consolidate anti-Mamdani voters behind Cuomo.Â
NYC mayoral poll 
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 16: (L-R) Mayoral candidates, Independent nominee former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani participate in a mayoral debate at Rockefeller Center on October 16, 202
A new Gotham/AARP poll suggests that if Sliwa exited the race, Cuomo would trail Mamdani by just four points, 44.6% to 40.7%. But Sliwa isn’t budging.
“People who know nothing about politics suggest that everybody who’s going to vote for me is suddenly going to be reborn: We love Andrew Cuomo,” Sliwa said in a viral interview this week, dismissing billionaire Bill Ackman’s calls for him to step aside.Â
Meet the candidates
Returning to the mayoral race after his 2021 defeat to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Curtis Sliwa, 71, brings his tough-on-crime message back to the Republican forefront.Â
The Guardian Angels founder and radio host is banking on his core base in conservative outer-borough neighborhoods.
Sliwa’s law-and-order platform remains central, and he has wasted no time labeling Mamdani “too extreme for this city,” positioning himself as the voice of traditional values and public safety.
He has focused his campaign on public order and community-focused housing.Â
Sliwa’s affordability plan
His seven-point housing plan includes converting empty commercial spaces into homes, restoring vacant rent-controlled units, and returning zoning control to local neighborhoods. Sliwa supports hiring thousands of new police officers and reinstating the NYPD’s Homeless Outreach Unit.
On education, he vows to overhaul the system to focus on measurable achievement, restore school safety agents and expand gifted and vocational programs.Â
Sliwa also pledges to preserve traditional Medicare for retirees, and to improve city sanitation and pest control to promote public health.
Will Sliwa drop out?
President Donald Trump had previously said he wanted two candidates to drop out of the race, fueling speculation about whether Sliwa might step aside to avoid splitting the vote. But Sliwa has dismissed that idea outright.
“Absolutely no way. Under no circumstance,” he said. “You can’t bribe me. You can’t lease me. You can’t rent me. I am running as the Republican candidate.”
Despite the uphill battle in a city that leans heavily Democratic, Sliwa’s name recognition and combative style keep him relevant in the race.
Cuomo considering new strategy in NYC mayor race
New York City mayoral candidates are turning to social media in an attempted to revitalize their campaigns, but is it working? Also, Republican Curtis Sliwa says he will take of his signature red beret for good if elected. FOX 5 NY’s Morgan McKay breaks down the state of the race.
After conceding defeat in the Democratic primary, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 67, has officially qualified to run as an independent in the general election, staging a late comeback that could reshape the race.Â
Cuomo is presenting himself as a steady hand with deep experience, seeking to appeal to moderates, independents and disaffected Democrats wary of both Mamdani’s progressivism and Sliwa’s conservatism.
Cuomo considering new strategy in NYC mayor race
New York City mayoral candidates are turning to social media in an attempted to revitalize their campaigns, but is it working? Also, Republican Curtis Sliwa says he will take of his signature red beret for good if elected. FOX 5 NY’s Morgan McKay breaks down the state of the race.
He has focused his campaign on restoring public safety and affordability.
He calls for adding 5,000 officers to the NYPD and increasing patrols in subways and retail corridors.Â
Cuomo’s housing plan
On housing, Cuomo supports building across income levels, enforcing rent-stabilization laws and offering tax relief for working- and middle-class residents.Â
His education priorities include reducing class sizes, expanding after-school programs and addressing teacher shortages.Â
Cuomo also wants more school-based health centers and expanded community health partnerships to improve access and pandemic preparedness.
At 34-years-old, Zohran Mamdani stands out as a Democratic Socialist and a rising star in New York City politics. As a state assemblyman, Mamdani surged ahead on a fiercely progressive platform promising rent freezes, fare-free public transit, universal childcare and an unprecedented push for public housing expansion.
His campaign is centered on housing, affordability and equity.Â
Mamdani’s housing plan
Mamdani’s proposals include freezing rents for stabilized tenants, tripling the construction of permanently affordable housing and creating a citywide Office of Deed Theft Prevention to protect homeowners.
On public safety, Mamdani would form a Department of Community Safety to handle mental health and homelessness responses, while maintaining NYPD staffing but cutting overtime. He’s pledged to disband the Strategic Response Group, which he says has violated New Yorkers’ rights.Â
Mamdani’s education plan calls for fully funded public schools, free child care for kids under five and major investments in CUNY.Â
His health plan would expand city hospital funding, reject Medicare Advantage and create outreach teams to connect residents with coverage and care.
The Source: This report is based on reporting from FOX 5 NY.