The three mayoral candidates on Thursday spoke over each other, traded barbs and made their pitches for why they deserve to lead New York City in the first general election debate.
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, who leads the polls, fought back attacks from his opponents. Meanwhile, GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa and independent former Gov. Andrew Cuomo tried to portray the frontrunner as too untested and reckless to become mayor.
Still, Mamdani maintained his poise when defending himself, and he was able to briefly describe his proposals and strike Cuomo.
“If you want more of the same, vote for Andrew Cuomo, if you want an actual approach to lower crime, look at our Department of Community Safety,” Mamdani said at one point, before launching into his plan to dispatch mental health outreach workers to respond to mental health crises.
Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani speaks during a mayoral debate, Oct. 16, 2025. Credit: Pool Photo by Angelina Katsanis/AP
Cuomo found himself under fire not just from Mamdani, but from Sliwa, too, as the former governor attempted to hit both his rivals.
Appearing without his signature red beret, Sliwa attempted to paint Cuomo and Mamdani as two-of-a-kind.
At one instance, he called Cuomo and Mamdani the “architect and the apprentice” of several policies he said made the city less safe, including bail changes.
Most of the first hour of the debate was dominated by questions about international issues before discussions on local issues like affordability or education.
A big chunk of the evening was spent discussing Mamdani’s former social media posts. Cuomo, for instance, brought up Mamdani’s 2020 posts calling the NYPD racist and anti-queer following George Floyd protests. Months later, he tweeted criticism of the police’s overtime budget.
“Andrew Cuomo is a politician of the past, and all he can speak about are the tweets of the past in 2020,” Mamdani said. “Those are tweets which I have apologized for to New Yorkers and police officers directly, and they are not what I am actually running on.”
The Democratic primary winner — who maintains a double-digit lead in the polls — was questioned at length about his criticism of Israel. The candidates also sparred about how they’d handle the National Guard and how they would stand up to President Donald Trump.
Sliwa — who said he has not spoken to the president in years and is not fully aligned with the Make America Great Again backers — said his opponents had “high levels of testosterone” when it came to dealing with the president. He would be different, he said.
Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa arrives to participate in a mayoral debate at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Oct. 16, 2025. Credit: Pool Photo by Angelina Katsanis/AP
“You can be tough, but you can’t be tough if it’s going to cost people desperately-needed federal funds,” he said, adding that he would negotiate to keep the Gateway Tunnel from New Jersey to New York, but was fine with the cancellation of the Second Avenue Subway extension in East Harlem.
“If you try to get tough with Trump, the only people who are going to suffer from that are the people of New York City,” Sliwa added.
Cuomo hit at Mamdani’s relative lack of experience, claiming Mamdani has never had a job before — although he’s been an assemblymember since 2021 and previously worked as a housing counselor.
Independent candidate and former Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks during a mayoral debate, Oct. 16, 2025. Credit: Pool Photo by Angelina Katsanis/AP
“If you look at the failed mayors, it was the ones that had no management experience, don’t do it again,” Cuomo said.
Mamdani and Cuomo went back and forth on the latter’s decision to send sickened seniors back to nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is reportedly under investigation by the Department of Justice.
“If we have a health pandemic, then why would New Yorkers turn back to the governor who sent seniors to their deaths in nursing homes? That’s the kind of experience that’s on offer here today,” Mamdani said. “What I don’t have in experience I make up for in integrity. And what you don’t have in integrity, you could never make up for in experience.”
The moderators then asked candidates to weigh in on local issues, including housing, education, policing and immigration.
One of Mamdani’s signature promises is to direct the Rent Guidelines Board to freeze the rent for more than 1 million rent-regulated apartments. He also said he’d build 200,000 “truly affordable” apartments over a 10-year period.
Sliwa promised to cut property taxes for residents over 65 and who make less than $250,000, while Cuomo said he’d focus on building more housing.
On education, Sliwa called for the expansion of the gifted and talented program, noting his two younger sons tried at age 4 and didn’t get in — but said it didn’t affect their education.
Cuomo said he would double the number of specialized high schools from nine to 18 and keep the test to get into those schools.
Mamdani, who graduated from a New York City specialized high school, clarified his plan to cut the gifted and talented program for kindergarten students only.
None of the candidates, though, offered any policy ideas or suggestions for the thousands of students with learning differences when asked.
All candidates raised their hands to indicate they could take actions to stop a federal crackdown on immigrants — including arrests of asylum-seekers showing up to routine appointments — but none had concise answers on what, exactly, they’d do.
Cuomo and Mamdani said they’d work to provide migrants with legal representation, while Sliwa said “migrants who are essential workers” should be protected.
The debate, co-hosted by WNBC, Telemundo and POLITICO, is the first of two required under rules from the city Campaign Finance Board. The final debate, co-hosted by THE CITY, is set for Wednesday, Oct. 22 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. It will air on NY1 and WNYC, as well as on THE CITY’s website.
Whether this debate can move the needle is unclear.
A recent Quinnipiac poll saw Cuomo pick up 10 points after Mayor Eric Adams dropped out, with 33% supporting him — but he still trailed Mamdani’s 46%. The same poll showed very few New Yorkers remain undecided.
Cuomo looked to gain some momentum with 10 days to go before early voting begins on Oct. 25 and weeks before Election Day on Nov. 4.
Ahead of the debate, Mamdani marched from Trump Tower to 30 Rockefeller Center, where the debate took place, with a bevy of supporters, including a marching band.
Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani arrives at 30 Rockefeller Plaza for the first mayoral debate, Oct. 16, 2025. Credit: Samantha Maldonado/THE CITY
Sliwa, who lost to Adams in the 2021 election, told THE CITY before the debate that he was “the people’s mayor” after he greeted his cheering supporters. Some of them blew whistles.
“I represent the outer boroughs. I represent the working class. I’m the populist candidate,” he said. “Andrew Cuomo, he’s old. He had it. He had his chance. He destroyed the state. And Mamdani, that’s fantasy. I’m bringing reality to the stage tonight.”
Cuomo was the last to arrive, greeting supporters before going into the debate studio.
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