NEW YORK – New York City’s three mayoral candidates went head-to-head in their final showdown just days before early voting begins.
What happened:
The candidates traded sharp attacks Wednesday night, as Democrat Zohran Mamdani sought to defend his lead while former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa portrayed him as unprepared to lead the nation’s largest city.
Mamdani opened by promising to stay focused on issues like affordability and housing, accusing his opponents of being “too consumed by fighting.”
But the 34-year-old state assemblyman found himself sparring with both rivals, who have criticized his limited experience, pro-Palestinian stance, and President Donald Trump’s threat to “take over” the city if Mamdani wins.
Cuomo warned that a Mamdani victory would be “a dream” for Trump, saying, “He thinks he’s a kid and he’s going to kick him on his tuchus.”
Mamdani countered that Cuomo was “Trump’s puppet,” while Sliwa said both were “trying to out-macho each other.”
Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, mocked both opponents. “Zohran, your résumé could fit on a cocktail napkin. And, Andrew, your failures could fill a public school library,” he said, invoking Cuomo’s 2021 resignation over sexual harassment allegations, which Cuomo denies.
The candidates also clashed over Tuesday’s immigration raid on Canal Street, which led to 14 arrests. Cuomo said ICE “isn’t needed to handle counterfeit crimes,” while Mamdani called the agency “reckless” and “dangerous.”
The debate seemed to end without a clear winner, but with tensions running higher than ever heading into Election Day.
See the live play-by-play and key moments as the debate unfolds below.
SKIP TO: Live play-by-play | Meet the candidates | Polls
With Mamdani holding a commanding lead in the polls, Cuomo and Sliwa face mounting pressure to make their case to voters on issues like crime, affordability and leadership.
The debate follows days of mounting pressure on Sliwa to drop out amid polls showing a tighter race without him.
How to watch the final mayoral debate
The two-hour debate, hosted by Spectrum NY1, The City, and WNYC/Gothamist, is expected to spotlight the city’s biggest concerns, affordability, crime, and leadership, as the crowded field narrows and the stakes reach their peak.
The debate takes place LaGuardia Community College in Queens.
It will be available on their livestream here.
Follow along for live updates and key moments as the debate unfolds.
8:35 p.m.
When asked if they could greet New Yorkers in another language, Cuomo said, “Chao, Buenos Dias.” Sliwa spoke Polish and Mamdani said, “Ni Hao.”
8:30 p.m.
Cuomo says let the city manage the city budget for the MTA.
Mamdani elaborated on his plan to make buses faster and cheaper.
Sliwa says “half the people don’t pay anyway,” in regard to free fares. Sliwa said he is in favor to more law enforcement in and around the subways.
8:27 p.m. Candidates answer questions about the economy.
Cuomo said he was in favor of raising the minimum wage to $20 and that $30 was too high. Sliwa agreed that he wouldn’t be in favor to raising the minimum wage too high.
8:17 p.m. Close Rikers?
Sliwa says fight to keep inmates on Rikers.
Mamdani says he will do everything in his power to meet the 2027 deadline to close Rikers.
Cuomo says you can’t close Rikers, suggesting that the county jails cannot handle it. He says instead, build more jails on Rikers. “There’s no place to put the people.”
8:16 p.m. Who is in favor of a cell phone ban in schools?
Sliwa and Mamdani raised their hands; Cuomo did not.
8:14 p.m.
Candidates answer questions on education.
Cuomo says he would keep the SAT, and double the amount of gifted and talented proposals.
8:08 p.m.
Mamdani asks Cuomo about sexual allegations against Cuomo. “What do you say to the 13 women?” Mamdani says that Charlotte Bennett, the former Cuomo aide who accused him of sexual harassment is in the audience tonight.
Cuomo said that Mamdani needed to be “mature” if he wanted to hold office and that everything he said was a lie.
8:07 p.m.
Cuomo questions Mamdani about a picture he took with a Ugandan official known for homophobic beliefs.
8:05 p.m.
Candidates say how they would vote for themselves in rank choice voting.
Mamdani says himself number 1 and Sliwa 2. Sliwa says he supports ranked choice voting but that he would only rank himself.
Adams endorsement?
Mamdani says he would not accept, Cuomo says yes, Sliwa says no, “put him jail.”
8 p.m.
Lighting round on congestion pricing.
Mamdani says keep. Sliwa says kill.
E-bike speed limit violations:
Cuomo says yes, Mamdani says hold the app like Doordash accountable.
Sliwa says yes and ensures riders have licenses.
7:57 p.m.
Cuomo says yes to more police arguing there is not enough to staff the force.
7:55 p.m.
Candidates answer questions on crime and public safety.
Sliwa said it was personal to him, referencing an attack involving his son, “I almost lost my oldest son,” Sliwa yelled. He says he supports charging juveniles who commit violent crime in criminal court.
7:48 p.m.
The candidates answer on whether they would ask Tisch to stay on as NYPD Commissioner.
Sliwa said yes.
Cuomo said he would as well.
Mamdani deflected, saying that he would focus on excellence and integrity and that he ultimately hasn’t decided.
7:46 p.m.
Cuomo and Mamdani go back and forth. “Zohran your resume could fit on a cocktail napkin, and Andrew your failures could fill a public school library in New York City,” Sliwa said.
7:41 p.m.
Sliwa answers questions about having name recognition throughout the city but lagging in the polls.
7:40 p.m.
Cuomo answers question about why he resigned as governor. He claims it was because he didn’t want to be a distraction as there was an ongoing investigation into him based on “allegations against him.”
7:33 p.m.
Mamdani answers questions about being denounced by rabbis and some in the Jewish community. He went on to reference meeting a Jewish mother who said she wouldn’t support him and said he would be willing to work with the Jewish community when elected.
Cuomo interrupted and said it wasn’t several rabbis, it was over 600. “You’re the savior of the Jewish people? You won’t denounce globalized antifada, which means kill Jews,” Cuomo said.
7:32 p.m.
When asked if he supported the ballot amendment questions, Mamdani said he didn’t have an opinion. Both Sliwa and Cuomo began yelling “answer the question.”
7:27 p.m.
Candidates talk about how to increase housing and developments.
Cuomo argued he would be the best candidate for housing and development and referenced how he built LaGuardia in 4 years.
Sliwa said he’s the only candidate that is against “The City of Yes” because he doesn’t agree with making deals with developers.
Mamdani said that he would aim to build more housing by making sure the public sector was into consideration.
7:22 p.m.
Candidates are asked about rent.
Mamdani stood by his plan to freeze rents and increase stabilize apartments.
Sliwa attacked Mamdani for living in a subsidized apartment and said he would begin with the vacancies across the city and increase tenant rights.
Cuomo attacked Mamdani and then said he would freeze the rent as well, but then said that it would ultimately be up to the Rent Guidelines Board.
7:16 p.m.
Candidates are asked about homelessness.
7:13 p.m.
Candidates are asked about President Trump and how they plan to work with him. “Trump wants Mamdani,” Cuomo argues. Mamdani called Cuomo Trump’s “puppet.”
7:09 p.m.
Candidates are asked about the ICE raid on Canal Street on Tuesday. Cuomo says he would’ve should up to Trump and the federal government.
Mamdani says he wouldn’t work with Trump in a case like this.
Sliwa attacked both Cuomo and Mamdani for supporting no cash bail, which he argues has made Canal Street a challenge for the NYPD.
7:07 p.m.
Mamdani begins his opening statements. “He’s a desperate man,” Mamdani began by speaking of Cuomo, who he claims will spend the night attacking him.
7:05 p.m.
Cuomo began with his opening statements. ” Go Knicks,” Cuomo began, before then going into an attack on Mamdani, saying that he will hire more police and end the “hate mongering” that he claims is ruining the city.
7:04 p.m.
Sliwa began with his opening statement. “It’s us versus them,” Sliwa said, adding that it was about the people of New York City.
7:01 p.m.
Candidates take the stage.
6:30 p.m.
All three candidates have arrived.
WATCH LIVE: NYC mayoral debate debrief (8 p.m.)
We’ll begin streaming live debate reaction and analysis on our YouTube page embedded below.
Click here if you’re having trouble viewing
Who won the last one?
While no clear winner emerged, analysts say Mamdani held his lead by avoiding major missteps, Cuomo relied on his executive experience and Sliwa’s offbeat humor and streetwise anecdotes, including stories about his mafia run-ins, made him an unlikely social media favorite.
Ben Max, host of the Max Politics podcast, joined Good Day New York on Friday morning with his analysis of the debate.
When asked if anyone won, Max said there were no “game changers” from the debate, meaning “Zohran Mamdani, as the front-runner, had a pretty good debate because he didn’t make any huge gaff and nobody brought him down significantly.”
Max added: “But I did think, in the debate itself, if you just look at how it was debated, Curtis Sliwa had a pretty good night.”
When is Election Day in NYC?
Election Day 2025 is Tuesday, Nov. 4, 13 days away.
Timeline, key dates
- Wednesday, Oct. 22: The second mayoral debate.
- Saturday, Oct. 25: Application for voter registration must be received no later than Oct. 25.
- Saturday, Oct. 25 through Sunday, Nov. 2: The early voting period. Early voting hours vary.
- Tuesday, Nov. 4: Election Day. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
You can check your registration status online here.
To find your local poll site, click here.
Here’s a look at some of the latest polls in the race for NYC mayor:
- A newly released report by Gotham Polling and the city AARP found 44.6% of New Yorkers would vote for Mamdani if Sliwa quit the race, compared to 40.7% saying they’d back Cuomo – with a margin of error of 4 points that puts Cuomo within striking distance.
- The latest Fox News poll shows Mamdani with a 24-point lead among registered voters in New York City. He’s at 52% support among likely voters, while Cuomo polls at 28% and Sliwa polls at 13%.
- Quinnipiac University has Mamdani with a 13-point lead in its latest poll, with Mamdani at 46% of the vote, while Cuomo and Sliwa poll at 33% and 15%, respectively.
Betting odds
Some companies have begun taking what amounts to bets on the outcome of the NYC mayoral election.
- Polymarket: The latest odds from Polymarket show Mamdani at a 93% chance of winning.
- Kalshi: The latest odds from Kalshi show Mamdani at a 91% chance of winning.
- Oddschecker: Mamdani is at -2000 to win.
SKIP TO: Andrew Cuomo | Zohran Mamdani | Curtis Sliwa
Dig deeper:
Returning to the mayoral race after his 2021 defeat to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Curtis Sliwa, 71, brings his tough-on-crime message back to the Republican forefront.
The Guardian Angels founder and radio host is banking on his core base in conservative outer-borough neighborhoods.
Sliwa’s law-and-order platform remains central, and he has wasted no time labeling Mamdani “too extreme for this city,” positioning himself as the voice of traditional values and public safety.
He has focused his campaign on public order and community-focused housing.
Sliwa’s affordability plan
His seven-point housing plan includes converting empty commercial spaces into homes, restoring vacant rent-controlled units, and returning zoning control to local neighborhoods. Sliwa supports hiring thousands of new police officers and reinstating the NYPD’s Homeless Outreach Unit.
On education, he vows to overhaul the system to focus on measurable achievement, restore school safety agents and expand gifted and vocational programs.
Sliwa also pledges to preserve traditional Medicare for retirees, and to improve city sanitation and pest control to promote public health.
Will Sliwa drop out?
President Donald Trump had previously said he wanted two candidates to drop out of the race, fueling speculation about whether Sliwa might step aside to avoid splitting the vote. But Sliwa has dismissed that idea outright.
“Absolutely no way. Under no circumstance,” he said. “You can’t bribe me. You can’t lease me. You can’t rent me. I am running as the Republican candidate.”
Despite the uphill battle in a city that leans heavily Democratic, Sliwa’s name recognition and combative style keep him relevant in the race.
After conceding defeat in the Democratic primary, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 67, has officially qualified to run as an independent in the general election, staging a late comeback that could reshape the race.
Cuomo is presenting himself as a steady hand with deep experience, seeking to appeal to moderates, independents and disaffected Democrats wary of both Mamdani’s progressivism and Sliwa’s conservatism.
Cuomo considering new strategy in NYC mayor race
New York City mayoral candidates are turning to social media in an attempted to revitalize their campaigns, but is it working? Also, Republican Curtis Sliwa says he will take of his signature red beret for good if elected. FOX 5 NY’s Morgan McKay breaks down the state of the race.
He has focused his campaign on restoring public safety and affordability.
He calls for adding 5,000 officers to the NYPD and increasing patrols in subways and retail corridors.
Cuomo’s housing plan
On housing, Cuomo supports building across income levels, enforcing rent-stabilization laws and offering tax relief for working- and middle-class residents.
His education priorities include reducing class sizes, expanding after-school programs and addressing teacher shortages.
Cuomo also wants more school-based health centers and expanded community health partnerships to improve access and pandemic preparedness.
At 34-years-old, Zohran Mamdani stands out as a Democratic Socialist and a rising star in New York City politics. As a state assemblyman, Mamdani surged ahead on a fiercely progressive platform promising rent freezes, fare-free public transit, universal childcare and an unprecedented push for public housing expansion.
His campaign is centered on housing, affordability and equity.
Mamdani’s housing plan
Mamdani’s proposals include freezing rents for stabilized tenants, tripling the construction of permanently affordable housing and creating a citywide Office of Deed Theft Prevention to protect homeowners.
On public safety, Mamdani would form a Department of Community Safety to handle mental health and homelessness responses, while maintaining NYPD staffing but cutting overtime. He’s pledged to disband the Strategic Response Group, which he says has violated New Yorkers’ rights.
Mamdani’s education plan calls for fully funded public schools, free child care for kids under five and major investments in CUNY.
His health plan would expand city hospital funding, reject Medicare Advantage and create outreach teams to connect residents with coverage and care.
The Source: This report is based on information from FOX 5 NY.