The second and ultimate debate of the Massive Apple’s normal mayoral race was chockfull of jabs and one-liners because the candidates made their ultimate circumstances to voters earlier than the Nov. 4 election.
The three hopefuls — Democrat Zohran Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa and ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, operating as an impartial — squared off on Spectrum NY1, clashing over their resumes and the way they might method working with President Trump, if elected.
The trio additionally sparred over their numerous coverage proposals on the highest points affecting New Yorkers, together with public security, housing and training.
Listed below are the highest 5 moments from Wednesday night time’s debate at LaGuardia Neighborhood School:
1) Cuomo and Sliwa staff as much as skewer Mamdani over non-answers: ‘Don’t be a politician’
Regardless of their animosity towards one another, Sliwa and Cuomo at instances teamed as much as assault Mamdani, together with over his non-response on proposals that shall be put forth to voters on Election Day.
“Don’t be a politician,” Sliwa taunted after Mamdani refused to say what he considered the housing-related proposals, noting solely that mentioned that he was “appreciative that these measures shall be on the poll.”
“Oh, what a shocker,” Cuomo sarcastically quipped, earlier than mocking the front-runner with a speaking fingers gesture.
4 of the six questions on the poll are housing-related, together with whether or not to provide extra energy over the zoning course of to the mayor, and away from the Metropolis Council — which supporters argue will fast-track reasonably priced housing initiatives. Mamdani has been notably silent on the problem all through the marketing campaign, refusing to stake a public place.
2) Sliwa tells Mamdani: ‘Your resume may match on a cocktail serviette’
Whereas polls nonetheless have Sliwa at a distant third, he wasn’t taking place and not using a combat.
As Cuomo and Mamdani had been busy bickering with one another, Sliwa took the chance to hammer each of his rivals — whereas additionally taking a swipe on the Dem nominee’s degree of expertise.
“I heard the each of them once more, combating like children within the schoolyard,” Sliwa mentioned.
“Your resume may match on a cocktail serviette,” he advised Mamdani, including at Cuomo, “and Andrew, your failures may fill a public faculty library in New York Metropolis.”
3) What do you say to the 13 girls you sexually harassed?
Mamdani pulled a stunt to ship a devastating blow towards Cuomo over the sexual misconduct scandal that compelled him out of workplace in 2021.
Cuomo was left visibly rattled when Mamdani identified one in every of his visitors on the debate, Charlotte Bennett, a former state staffer who was the primary girl to go public with accusations towards the then-gov.
“You may have even gone as far as to legally go after these girls. A kind of girls, Charlotte Bennett, is right here within the viewers this night,” Mamdani mentioned.
“She can not converse up for herself since you lodged a defamation case towards her. I, nevertheless, can converse – what do you say to the 13 girls that you just sexually harassed?”
Cuomo stumbled over his response, saying that “if you wish to be in authorities, then you need to be severe and mature,” earlier than including that Mamdani was merely referring to “allegations.”
4) Sliwa rips Cuomo: ‘You fled from being impeached!’
Sliwa additionally discovered a possibility to clobber Cuomo over his sexual misconduct scandal.
“You fled from being impeached by the Democrats within the state legislature!” he mentioned to applause as Cuomo and Mamdani had been going back-and-forth over the previous governor’s housing file.
State Legal professional Letitia James’ workplace launched its report in 2021 discovering that Cuomo sexually harassed a number of girls and created a hostile work setting, prompting his resignation.
The three-term Democratic governor has fiercely denied the allegations and insisted he’s harmless of wrongdoing.
5) Trump takes middle stage as Cuomo says prez will knock Mamdani on his ‘tuchus’
Whereas the election is about choosing the following mayor, President Trump has been a frequent topic all through the marketing campaign path — even weighing in on the candidates publicly.
Throughout a few of the first moments within the debate, the mayoral hopefuls had been every requested how they might deal with working with the White Home, if elected.
Cuomo argued Mamdani wasn’t as much as the duty, saying that Trump “thinks he’s a child and he’s going to knock him on his tuchus.”
“It’s a stability, however you’re going to should be adversarial when it’s essential to. However you need to cooperate to get good issues achieved on this metropolis, and also you want federal assist.”
Mamdani shot again that Cuomo was Trump’s “puppet.”
“We first simply heard from the Republican candidate for mayor, after which we heard from Donald Trump’s puppet himself, Andrew Cuomo,” he mentioned.
“You may activate TV any day of the week, and you’ll hear Donald Trump share that his choose for mayor is Andrew Cuomo, and he desires Andrew Cuomo to be the mayor, not as a result of will probably be good for New Yorkers, however as a result of will probably be good for him.”
The election shall be held on Nov. 4, with the nine-day interval of early voting starting this Saturday.
