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Nine Democratic candidates for New York City mayor faced off on Wednesday evening in the first of two debates ahead of this month’s primary election.
Held without a live audience, the two-hour debate focused on issues facing New York City, including housing, affordability, crime, policing, public safety, and how each candidate would handle the Trump administration if elected.
From the outset, the two frontrunners, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Queens Assemblyman and democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, sparred over their records.
Mamdani, who has seen a recent surge in popularity, accused Cuomo of being beholden to wealthy donors and corporate interests, adding that he cared more about the “1%”, “the billionaires and the profitable corporations” than “working-class New Yorkers.”
“The difference between myself and Andrew Cuomo is that my campaign is not funded by the very billionaires who put Donald Trump in DC,” Mamdani said.
Cuomo, who is mounting a political comeback after resigning from office in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations, dismissed 33-year-old Mamdani as inexperienced.
The crowded debate stage also featured Adrienne Adams, speaker of the New York City Council; Brad Lander, the current comptroller; Scott Stringer, the former comptroller; Michael Blake, a former state assemblyman from the Bronx; Zellnor Myrie, a Brooklyn state senator; Jessica Ramos, a Queens state senator; and Whitney Tilson, a former hedge fund manager.
Cuomo was a frequent target throughout the night, with candidates launching attacks at his record, criticizing his handling of nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic and the sexual harassment allegations.
A 2021 report by the New York attorney general found that the Cuomo administration undercounted thousands of deaths of state nursing home residents during the pandemic.
On Wednesday, Cuomo defended the report and insisted that nursing home deaths were not undercounted.
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p class=”dcr-16w5gq9″>Current New York City Mayor Eric Adams was also frequently criticized on the debate stage despite not being there.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/05/democratic-candidates-for-new-york-mayor-spar-over-housing-covid-and-trump
