Andrew Cuomo tries to knock down ‘first-timer’ Zohran Mamdani in NYC mayor’s debate

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo late Thursday said choosing the right New York City mayor is a matter of life and death, casting doubt on Zohran Mamdani’s chops in a bid to drag down the front-runner weeks before the election.

Mr. Cuomo, an independent, went straight at the Democratic nominee. He said Mr. Mamdani’s lack of executive experience is a major liability in America’s largest city.

“This is not a job for a first-timer,” Mr. Cuomo said at a mayoral debate hosted by NBC News. “Any day, you could have a hurricane, God forbid a 9/11, a health pandemic. If you don’t know what you’re doing, people could die.”

Mr. Mamdani shot back in the first of a series of parries and thrusts by the men on either side of Curtis Sliwa, the GOP nominee who stood at center-stage.

“If we have a health pandemic, then why would people turn back to a governor who sent people to their deaths in nursing homes? That’s the kind of experience that’s on offer here today,” Mr. Mamdani said, a reference to allegations that Mr. Cuomo issued dangerous guidance during the COVID-19 crisis.

Mr. Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman, is running on a “democratic socialist” platform that involves freezing rents, making city buses free, and establishing city-owned grocery stores. He has a double-digit lead over Mr. Cuomo.

Thursday night’s debate featured spirited arguments over personal qualities, President Trump and the Gaza war.

Mr. Mamdani said both Israel and Hamas need to put down their weapons. He said he hopes the recently brokered ceasefire holds.

Mr. Sliwa said Mr. Trump deserves praise for the recent Gaza peace deal, while Mr. Cuomo accused Mr. Mamdani of sympathizing with Palestinian militants — an attack that could resonate among New York’s large Jewish population, the world’s largest outside Israel.

“The assemblyman will not denounce Hamas,” Mr. Cuomo said.

Mr. Cuomo, who served as New York governor for a decade, is running as an independent after Mr. Mamdani walloped him in the June Democratic primary by nearly 13 percentage points.

The race is a comeback bid for Mr. Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 as he faced sexual harassment allegations and likely impeachment.

Mr. Sliwa made his name as the red beret-wearing face of the crime-fighting Guardian Angels before running for mayor in 2021 and 2025. He’s also known for his radio shows.

At the debate, Mr. Sliwa flexed his city-life bona fides, saying he is the “only candidate who rides mass transit every day.”

Mr. Mamdani is pushing a plan to make city bus rides free by raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy, though Mr. Cuomo and Mr. Sliwa said it wasn’t financially feasible and hadn’t worked in other cities that tried it.

On housing, Mr. Cuomo attacked Mr. Mamdani for living in a rent-stabilized apartment, saying the unit should be reserved for a poor person.

“If you think that the problem in this city is that my rent is too low, vote for him. If you know the problem in this city is that your rent is too high, vote for me,” Mr. Mamdani said.

All three candidates said 311, the city’s assistance line for nonemergency services, was underperforming and needed reform.

The 2026 New York governor’s race caused a stir, with Mr. Cuomo saying he needs to know who, exactly, is running before he endorses Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, while Mr. Mamdani refused to endorse anyone until after this November.

Mr. Sliwa backed the Republican favorite, Rep. Elise Stefanik.

The current mayor, Eric Adams, dropped out of the race on Sept. 28 after a campaign marred by legal woes and lagging poll numbers.

Mr. Cuomo is hoping any Adams support coalesces behind him, though he still trailed Mr. Mamdani by 13 points — 46% to 33% — in a Quinnipiac University poll released Oct. 9. Mr. Sliwa earned 15% support.

Mr. Mamdani was born in Uganda to parents of Indian descent and raised in New York City. His campaign is enthusing young, liberal voters.

But the Democratic establishment has been slow to embrace him, fearing blowback from centrists and Republicans who will cast him as the radical face of the Democratic Party in the 2026 midterm elections.

Mr. Mamdani faced pressure Thursday to explain how his socialist policies would comport with New York’s reputation as the home of financial markets and capitalism.

“I would be the mayor of this entire city, and that means ensuring that the wealth that we generate in this city is also wealth that every single New Yorker can feel in their pockets,” Mr. Mamdani said.

Mr. Trump says Mr. Mamdani is a “communist” who achieved front-runner status by running against weak competition. The president has threatened to cut off federal funding to New York City if Mr. Mamdani is elected and pushes such policies.

All three mayoral candidates agreed that Mr. Trump should not send the National Guard to New York City.

More generally, Mr. Mamdani said he would be willing to speak to Mr. Trump, to urge the president to deliver on his pledge to working families.

“All he’s been able to deliver thus far is prosecuting his political enemies and trying to enact the largest deportation program in American history,” Mr. Mamdani said.

Mr. Cuomo, meanwhile, warned that Mr. Trump would simply conquer the Big Apple under a Mayor Mamdani.

“Donald Trump will take over New York City,” he said, “and it will be Mayor Trump who runs New York City.”