Look for Cuomo and Mamdani to come out swinging in first general election mayoral debate

Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News on Oct 15, 2025

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NEW YORK — As the mayoral race enters its home stretch, the candidates for NYC mayor are expected to face off in the first general election debate Thursday — with front-runner Zohran Mamdani and chief rival Andrew Cuomo both saying the plan is to hit at the other hard.

The most recent polls show a tightening contest, though with the Democratic nominee Mamdanii still holding a double-digit lead. With that, the candidates all have different objectives: Mamdani will be seeking to protect his frontrunner status, while Cuomo will be on the offense trying to chip away at it. Republican Curtis Sliwa will likely be hoping to galvanize his base.

Mamdani, who has made affordability the centerpiece of his campaign, plans to hit Cuomo over ties to the wealthy, including supporters of President Donald Trump who have also donated to Cuomo’s campaign.

“Andrew, you had your chance to lead this state,” Mamdani said during a Fox News hit Wednesday. “You took that time to sell out working class New Yorkers to your billionaire donors, and instead of actually meeting the needs of people who couldn’t afford to live in the city, you gave $959 million in tax breaks to Elon Musk.”

Trump, who has threatened to withhold federal funding to New York City should Mamdani win, has loomed large over the race, which has also put a spotlight on the divisions within the Democratic party.

Cuomo, who is running as an independent, said Wednesday he is also ready to go on the offense, adding that his debate prep has been “nothing special.”

“I think his positions are nonsensical,” the ex-governor said of Mamdani. “I think his ideology is farcical. I think his experience and qualifications are non-existent.”

The debate marks one of Cuomo’s last big opportunities to sway the moderate and conservative voters critical to a potential victory to check off his name, rather than not vote at all or back Sliwa.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that Cuomo got a ten-point boost after Mayor Adams, also a moderate Democrat running as an independent, dropped out of the race late last month.The debate, co-hosted by NBC, Telemundo and Politico, starting at 7 p.m.at the 30 Rock studios in Manhattan.

There will be a second debate on Wednesday, Oct. 22, hosted by NY1 at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens.

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