Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani dominated the evening, while Andrew Cuomo couldn’t induce any major mistakes. The young assemblymember reminded debate viewers why a 33-year-old democratic socialist is on the cusp of becoming mayor of New York City – he’s a great communicator. With a double-digit lead in every poll, all Mamdani really needed was not to collapse. He succeeded – and avoided any major missteps. Some Republicans seized on his awkward moment declining to endorse Gov. Kathy Hochul’s reelection, even though she took a big political risk by backing his candidacy… but that’s not exactly going to cost Mamdani the race.
At times, he might have been too smooth – he’s practiced lines on topics like affordability and Israel so many times you can almost see him going into autopilot. Meanwhile, Andrew Cuomo, the former governor running as an independent, found himself struggling to challenge Mamdani, who remains the frontrunner in the polls. Cuomo needed a breakout moment, but even with Mayor Eric Adams suspending his campaign, the ex-governor has not been able to surpass the front-running Democratic nominee. The debate underscored the key problem facing Cuomo who’s running as an independent after losing in an upset to Mamdani in June. In his long career, Cuomo has never successfully run a campaign as the underdog. His sole electoral loss came 23 years ago against Carl McCall. Every election since, Cuomo was the clear favorite.
Cuomo spoke from the podium with a dry recitation of facts. Mamdan appeared well prepared for the ex-governor’s attacks, many of which – like the Queens assemblymember’s past criticism of Barack Obama – were recycled from the primary campaign. That criticism didn’t work then, and it isn’t clear why Cuomo would think it could work now in a general election. Meanwhile, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, the city’s former mayor and founder of the Guardian Angels, attempted to rally support for Trump by positioning himself as a pragmatic choice. Despite his own strained relationship with the president, Sliwa pledged to have a working relationship with Trump, saying it wouldn’t be productive to work against the president or try to be a tough guy with him.
This stance serves multiple purposes. Cuomo is trying to steal Sliwa’s Republican supporters, and Sliwa needs MAGA New Yorkers to stay in the fold. Sliwa also likely knows Cuomo and Mamdani won’t go out on a similar limb since they can’t afford to lose Democratic voters who loathe Trump. Meanwhile, the debate also highlighted Mamdani’s weaknesses. The otherwise strong night by Mamdani had the effect of highlighting his vulnerabilities on public safety and Israel. He struggled when talking about his plans for making changes to the Civilian Complaint Review Board – almost sounding like a Wikipedia entry when describing the panel’s job of assessing police misconduct. Mamdani was also on his backfoot when being attacked by Cuomo over embracing the phrase ‘globalize the intifada.’
As strong as Mamdani can be on affordability and cost-of-living concerns that are so important to New Yorkers, he still has vulnerabilities on other issues where Cuomo is strongest. These vulnerabilities could be critical if the race tightens in the final weeks before the November election. While Mamdani’s smooth demeanor and messaging have given him an edge, his opponents remain hopeful that their attacks will resonate with key voter demographics. The second debate is set to take place next week, where the stakes are set to rise as the candidates continue to vie for the support of New York City residents.