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NEW YORK – It\u2019s a pivotal night in the race to become New York City\u2019s next mayor. Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa are taking the stage in their first of two debates<\/a> before Election Day.<\/p>\n With Mamdani holding a commanding lead in the polls<\/a>, Cuomo and Sliwa face mounting pressure to make their case to voters on issues like crime, affordability and leadership.<\/p>\n SKIP TO: Live updates<\/a> | Meet the candidates<\/a> | Polls<\/a><\/p>\n Follow along for live updates<\/a> and key moments as the debate unfolds.<\/p>\n The live debate kicks off at 7 p.m. and will air on WNBC and Telemundo 47 in partnership with POLITICO. The first hour will be televised, while the second will be streamed.<\/p>\n Watch the debate online here<\/a>.<\/p>\n SKIP TO: Andrew Cuomo<\/a> | Zohran Mamdani<\/a> | Curtis Sliwa<\/a><\/p>\n Dig deeper:<\/p>\n Returning to the mayoral race after his 2021 defeat to New York City Mayor Eric Adams<\/a>, Curtis Sliwa<\/a>, 71, brings his tough-on-crime message back to the Republican forefront.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Guardian Angels<\/a> founder and radio host is banking on his core base in conservative outer-borough neighborhoods.<\/p>\n Sliwa\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n He has focused his campaign on public order and community-focused housing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sliwa’s affordability plan <\/p>\n 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\u2019s Homeless Outreach Unit.<\/p>\n On education, he vows to overhaul the system to focus on measurable achievement, restore school safety agents and expand gifted and vocational programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sliwa also pledges to preserve traditional Medicare for retirees, and to improve city sanitation and pest control to promote public health.<\/p>\n Will Sliwa drop out? <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “Absolutely no way. Under no circumstance,” he said. “You can\u2019t bribe me. You can\u2019t lease me. You can\u2019t rent me. I am running as the Republican candidate.”<\/p>\n Despite the uphill battle in a city that leans heavily Democratic, Sliwa\u2019s name recognition and combative style keep him relevant in the race.<\/p>\n After conceding defeat in the Democratic primary<\/a>, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo<\/a>, 67, has officially qualified to run as an independent in the general election, staging a late comeback that could reshape the race.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cuomo is presenting himself as a steady hand with deep experience, seeking to appeal to moderates, independents and disaffected Democrats wary of both Mamdani\u2019s progressivism and Sliwa\u2019s conservatism.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n He has focused his campaign on restoring public safety and affordability.<\/p>\n He calls for adding 5,000 officers to the NYPD and increasing patrols in subways and retail corridors.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cuomo’s housing plan <\/p>\n On housing, Cuomo supports building across income levels, enforcing rent-stabilization laws and offering tax relief for working- and middle-class residents.\u00a0<\/p>\n His education priorities include reducing class sizes, expanding after-school programs and addressing teacher shortages.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cuomo also wants more school-based health centers and expanded community health partnerships to improve access and pandemic preparedness.<\/p>\n At 33-years-old, Zohran Mamdani<\/a> stands out as a Democratic Socialist<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n His campaign is centered on housing, affordability and equity.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mamdani’s housing plan <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s pledged to disband the Strategic Response Group<\/a>, which he says has violated New Yorkers\u2019 rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mamdani\u2019s education plan calls for fully funded public schools, free child care for kids under five and major investments in CUNY.\u00a0<\/p>\n His health plan would expand city hospital funding, reject Medicare Advantage and create outreach teams to connect residents with coverage and care.<\/p>\n By the numbers:<\/p>\n According to a new Quinnipiac University poll<\/a>, Cuomo has gained momentum since Adams dropped out<\/a>, reshaping what once looked like a settled race. But as the campaign enters its final stretch, the numbers suggest that momentum alone may not be enough to close Mamdani\u2019s double-digit edge.<\/p>\n The poll shows Mamdani leading with 46% of likely voters \u2013 Cuomo follows at 33%, leaving Sliwa trailing with 15% support.<\/p>\n In Quinnipiac\u2019s previous survey on Sept. 10<\/a>, when Adams was still in the race, Mamdani had 45%, Cuomo 23%, Sliwa 15% and Adams 12%.\u00a0<\/p>\n The new numbers suggest Cuomo picked up most of Adams\u2019 supporters but still trails Mamdani by double digits, underscoring a race that has shifted on the surface but not in structure.<\/p>\n What’s next:<\/p>\n The next and final debate before Election Day will take place Wednesday, Oct. 22.<\/a><\/p>\n The Source: This report is based on the NYC mayoral debate on Thursday Oct. 16, 2025.<\/p>\n 2025 election for NYC mayor<\/a>Politics<\/a>New York City<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK – It\u2019s a pivotal night in the race to become New York City\u2019s next mayor. Democratic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5649,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[2659,9,24,55,54,56,63,3334,87,618],"class_list":{"0":"post-5648","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-election","9":"tag-new-york","10":"tag-new-york-city","11":"tag-new-york-city-headlines","12":"tag-new-york-city-news","13":"tag-ny","14":"tag-nyc","15":"tag-nyc-mayor-2025","16":"tag-politics","17":"tag-us"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5648\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/debate-candidates.png\")
\u00a0 7:03 p.m.: The debate has kicked off, and it’s official: Curtis Sliwa is not wearing his beret. (Briana Scalia)6:20 p.m.: Cuomo arrives not long after Mamdani. (Briana Scalia) 6:19 p.m.: McKay spots Mamdani entering the venue. (Briana Scalia) 5:12 p.m.: FOX 5 NY’s political reporter Morgan McKay reports Sliwa has arrived. (Briana Scalia) WATCH LIVE: NYC mayoral debate debrief <\/p>\n![\"Sliwa](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/BF73117B7031FC6737582E27C6C0EB1D.jpg\")
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Cuomo considering new strategy in NYC mayor race<\/a> <\/p>\n![\"Mamdani](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/97D93A3B862704B4CBCEBD6595CD4BC9.jpg\")
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