The New York City mayoral candidates faced off in their second and final debate Wednesday night ahead of the general election.
Democrat Zohran Mamdani, independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa each made their case to New Yorkers on why they deserve the vote.
From recent ICE raids, to police leadership and even a surprise guest in the crowd, the candidates covered important ground in their last clash before Election Day. Here are six key takeaways from the night.
Candidates react to Canal Street ICE raid
The candidates were asked to address Tuesday’s raid by federal immigration agents targeting street vendors on Canal Street.
Cuomo said it was dangerous for the federal government to send ICE in without coordinating with local police first, and that ICE isn’t needed for quality of life enforcement. He said he would’ve told President Trump to stop the raid or have the NYPD step in.
The former governor also referenced a previous incident from Mr. Trump’s first term when ICE arrived in upstate New York, saying, “I called the president and I went down to the White House and I said, ‘That doesn’t work in New York.'”
Mamdani called ICE a “reckless entity that cares little for the law and even less about the people that they’re supposed to serve.”
He called to end the “chapter of collaboration between City Hall and the federal government,” and instead pass street vending reform bills that are currently before the City Council.
Sliwa agreed federal agents should not have raided Canal Street and that the matter should have been left to the NYPD. He also spoke about patrolling the area in the past and criticized the state’s bail policies, which he said lead to vendors being released after they’re arrested. He also made a point to condemn the protesters who clashed with agents.
“We can’t tolerate citizens attacking our federal law enforcement forces in the street, because then that will just lead to anarchy,” he added.
How mayoral candidates would deal with Trump
On a similar note, the candidates were asked how they would respond if Mr. Trump continues to threaten to increase the role of the federal government in city affairs.
Sliwa said if you try to fight the president, New Yorkers will lose. He said he would try to negotiate, instead.
“You have to be able to show respect. And I think if you show respect, you’ll get respect and you’ll protect the New Yorkers who are so desperately in need of federal funds,” he said.
Cuomo cited his experience working with Mr. Trump during the COVID pandemic, saying, “He is hyper aggressive and he is gonna overstep his bounds, and you are going to have to confront him and you can beat him.”
He added the president “has to respect you” in order to cooperate and receive federal help.
Mamdani said he is “ready and willing” to discuss things like affordability but vowed to fight Mr. Trump on other issues.
“Donald Trump ran on three promises. He ran on creating the single largest deportation force in American history, he ran on going after his political enemies, and he ran on lowering the cost of living,” Mamdani said. “If he wants to talk to me about the third piece of that agenda, I will always be ready and willing, but if he wants to talk about how to pursue the first and second piece of that agenda at the expense of New Yorkers, I will fight him every single step of the way.”
What the candidates agreed on
All three candidates said they would ask Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to stay on, if elected.
Tisch was sworn in as the NYPD’s second female commissioner in November 2024. She is the fourth person to lead the department during Mayor Eric Adams’ tenure and previously served as Sanitation Commissioner.
The candidates also said they’re all in favor of the state’s bell-to-bell school cellphone ban.
Candidates get personal
The most intense moments of the debate came when Mamdani and Cuomo got to ask each other a question.
One of Mamdani’s debate guests was Charlotte Bennett, one of the women who accused Cuomo of sexual harassment when he was governor.
“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,” Mamdani said. “What do you say to the 13 women that you sexually harassed?”
“If you want to be in government, then you have to be serious and mature,” Cuomo responded. “They were allegations of sexual harassment. They were then, went to five district attorneys, fully litigated for four years. The cases were dropped.”
The candidates also had an extended debate on Mamdani’s position on Israel. Sliwa brought up his two sons, who are being raised Jewish.
“They’re frightened, they’re scared. They view you as the arsonist who’ve fanned the flames of antisemitism,” said Sliwa.
“Curtis, I do still want to be the mayor that will keep your sons safe, that will keep every single New Yorker safe,” Mamdani responded.
Sliwa also criticized his opponents for supporting the Raise the Age law, which raised the age when someone can be persecuted as an adult to 18.
“My oldest son, Anthony, last October was the victim of a vicious gang assault that could have killed him,” he said, getting emotional. “And what happened to these juveniles? Cut free, because they went to family court, not criminal court.”
Keep or kill congestion pricing?
Cuomo and Mamdani said they would keep the controversial congestion pricing toll, but Sliwa said he wants to kill it.
While control of the MTA lies at the state level — not the city — the candidates also spoke about other transit-related issues.
Cuomo said he wants the city to take control of the MTA’s capital construction projects, Mamdani spoke about his plan to speed up bus service, and Sliwa called for more police officers to crack down on fare evasion.
What to do about Rikers
The candidates were asked if they intend to follow through with the current plan to close the long troubled Rikers Island jail complex by 2027.
Sliwa said he would keep Rikers open and refurbish the necessary buildings. He said he would fight the law mandating its closure, and that the lots allocated for smaller prisons in its place should be used for affordable housing instead.
Cuomo also said there’s no way to close Rikers by the deadline and that the city should “scrap the county jails.” He called for building new facilities on the island and using the other sites for commercial and residential purposes.
Mamdani said he would stick to the plan to close the prison, but blamed the Adams administration for making it “virtually impossible” to meet the current deadline. He said not following the law would be irresponsible, pointing to heavy fiscal penalties and broken contracts.
This was the final debate before polls open for early voting on Saturday, Oct. 25, followed by Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 4.