Andrew Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani to face off in New York mayoral debate

Among other mayoral races across the country, New York City’s stands out.

It features a young Democratic socialist and political newcomer leading by wide margins; an establishment Democrat and former New York governor; and a Republican known for crime-fighting in a red beret.

Most local elections don’t draw national attention, said Patrick Egan, professor of politics and public policy at New York University.

“This one is a little bit different,” he said, citing “the high-wattage personalities” involved.

The race for New York City’s next mayor is down to three candidates who will take the stage for a live televised debate at Rockefeller Plaza on Thursday.

Each of them will be hoping to win over any undecided voters before the early November election in the nation’s largest city.

There’s Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblyman who shocked his party by winning the city’s ranked-choice Democratic primary by nearly 13 points in June.

Next, Andrew Cuomo, a moderate Democrat running as an independent, who led the state as governor for 10 years before resigning in a sexual harassment scandal in 2021.

And finally, Curtis Sliwa, a Republican, remains in the race in the overwhelmingly Democratic city, having run for mayor once before – securing 27% of the vote.

The debate won’t include current New York Mayor Eric Adams, who dropped out of the race last month. His re-election quest floundered after a series of scandals, including his indictment in 2024 on federal bribery and fraud charges, which were later dropped after President Donald Trump took office.

Some Mamdani critics hoped Adams’ departure from the race would help coalesce support around Cuomo, but despite a small boost, the latest polls suggest Mamdani maintains a double-digit lead.

Still, a win for Mamdani is not certain, Egan said.

Born and raised in Uganda before moving to New York at age seven, Mamdani is a pro-Palestinian, Democratic socialist who is presenting one of the most progressive platforms of any New York mayoral candidate in recent history.

The 33-year-old’s proposals include free bus service and a chain of city-owned grocery stores. He has been endorsed by prominent progressives including Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Mamdani worked as a housing counsellor in Queens before going on to represent New York’s 36th District, which includes Astoria and Long Island City in Queens, in the state assembly for the past five years.

The millennial, who would be the city’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor, has leaned into his roots in a diverse city. Mamdani has also harnessed the power of social media and secured an army of young volunteers and supporters – speaking to Americans’ distrust of the political establishment.

“He has been able to speak to that scepticism with a message that says: ‘I am change,'” Egan said.

His candidacy sparked outrage from Trump, who has called him a “communist” and threatened to withhold federal funding from the city if he is elected. Mamdani also has not been endorsed by Democratic Party leaders from New York, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Party leaders also have not endorsed Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing the primary to Mamdani.

It’s a rare similarity between the two. The son of former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, Andrew Cuomo led the state from 2011 until his resignation in 2021 after a state attorney general investigation found he had sexually harassed 11 women while in office.

A pro-Israel moderate Democrat, Cuomo passed legislation as governor supporting marriage equality, paid family leave and gun control.

The 67-year-old, who also served as a New York attorney general and housing and urban development secretary under then-President Bill Clinton, is running on increasing affordable housing, healthcare and transportation, among other goals.

Yet Cuomo’s years of experience and well-known political family name may have drawbacks.

“He is part of the political establishment at a time when a lot of voters don’t want anything to do with the establishment,” Egan said.

Cuomo also faces a challenge from Republican Sliwa. Though not a frontrunner, Sliwa’s very presence in the race could help determine its outcome if he siphons away enough voters who are not drawn to Mamdani’s more progressive policies.

The 71-year-old frequently sports a red beret from his days as a Guardian Angel, a civilian volunteer group he founded to prevent crime in the city. A native New Yorker, Sliwa has been a radio broadcaster for decades and ran for mayor in 2021.

On Thursday, the disparate group is expected to focus on a host of issues, including affordable housing and the city’s $4bn (£3bn) government budget deficit.

The top issues may resemble those in mayoral races in other large cities. Still, when the candidates gather to debate, New Yorkers will face the unusual choices they have – and the three very different paths they could choose for the city’s future.