Frontrunners Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani received into quite a lot of heated spats over the significance of age, expertise and private integrity throughout Thursday night time’s second and remaining Democratic mayoral major debate, highlighting a set of points which have emerged as key focuses within the remaining dash of the 2025 marketing campaign.
The talk, held simply two days earlier than early major voting will get underway Saturday, featured the seven main Democratic candidates within the race and lined a spread of subjects, together with every little thing from immigration and housing to public security, sanitation and combating again towards President Trump’s agenda.
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks through the New York Metropolis Democratic Mayoral Major Debate on the John Jay Faculty of Prison Justice within the Gerald W. Lynch Theater on June 12, 2025 in New York Metropolis. (Photograph by VINCENT ALBAN/POOL/AFP by way of Getty Photos)
Probably the most heated moments of the night time got here because the moderators quizzed Cuomo and Mamdani — who’ve persistently polled because the front-runner candidates — on whether or not it’s vital to have in depth authorities expertise.
At 67, Cuomo would change into the oldest mayor to take workplace within the trendy period, and the ex-governor sought to characterize that as a constructive, citing his a long time of expertise working as governor, state legal professional common and federal housing secretary.
Against this, Mamdani, a democratic socialist Queens Meeting member, would at 33 change into one of many youngest mayors within the trendy period, and Cuomo stated it’d be “dangerous” and “reckless” to place him in cost at a time of myriad challenges, together with Trump’s efforts to strip vital federal funding from the town.
“He’s accomplished nothing,” Cuomo stated of Mamdani, whose sole elected job has been serving within the Meeting since 2021, calling his resume “laughable.”
Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani speaks through the New York Metropolis Democratic Mayoral Major Debate on the John Jay Faculty of Prison Justice within the Gerald W. Lynch Theater on June 12, 2025 in New York Metropolis. (Photograph by VINCENT ALBAN/POOL/AFP by way of Getty Photos)
However Mamdani used that as a gap to lace into the extra scandalous points of Cuomo’s report, together with his 2021 resignation as governor within the face of accusations that he sexually harassed almost a dozen ladies and mismanaged nursing house insurance policies through the COVID pandemic.
“I have never had to resign in disgrace,” stated Mamdani, prompting roars from the gang within the Gerald W. Lynch Theater on the John Jay Faculty of Prison Justice in Manhattan.
The opposite candidates piled on, with Brad Lander saying Cuomo has the unsuitable sort of expertise, arguing the town wants regular management not a report of “sexual harassment, corruption and disgrace.”
“Those are bald faced lies,” Cuomo protested, turning on to Lander, who has typically polled because the No. 3 candidate within the race. Cuomo has denied ever sexually harassing anybody, however has apologized to anybody he stated he made really feel uncomfortable.
Additionally on stage for the ultimate debate had been Adrienne Adams, Zellnor Myrie, Scott Stringer and Whitney Tilson.
In addition to age, Cuomo and Tilson, who provided a shock cross endorsement of the ex-gov through the debate, went after Mamdani on policing, noting he had known as for defunding the NYPD through the COVID pandemic.
“I will not defund the police,” Mamdani replied, including that cops ought to deal with main crimes, not jobs healthier for social staff. “I will work with the police because I believe the police have a critical role to play.”
Speaker Adams, whose marketing campaign has gained some momentum these days, accused Cuomo of mischaracterizing the COVID-era defund the police motion, arguing it was about reallocating sources in a wiser approach, not slashing funding. “I don’t know how long we’ve been out of it, Mr. Cuomo … Slogans and scare tactics aren’t going to make anybody in New York safer,” she stated.
Metropolis Council Speaker Adrienne Adams speaks through the New York Metropolis Democratic Mayoral Major Debate on the John Jay Faculty of Prison Justice within the Gerald W. Lynch Theater on June 12, 2025 in New York Metropolis. (Photograph by VINCENT ALBAN/POOL/AFP by way of Getty Photos)
The Israel-Hamas battle additionally emerged as a spotlight, with Mamdani accused by Cuomo and Tilson of amplifying antisemitic causes as a consequence of his pro-Palestinian views. Tilson, who centered a major chunk of his feedback on attacking Mamdani, argued that Mamdani’s use of the phrase “genocide” in describing Israel’s conflict in Gaza means he’s partly accountable for a latest uptick in antisemitic incidents in New York.
“I am being smeared,” Mamdani replied, arguing Israeli historians and former prime ministers have used related language to explain the conflict.
Former hedge fund supervisor Whitney Tilson speaks through the New York Metropolis Democratic Mayoral Major Debate on the John Jay Faculty of Prison Justice within the Gerald W. Lynch Theater on June 12, 2025 in New York Metropolis. (Photograph by VINCENT ALBAN/POOL/AFP by way of Getty Photos)
The problems of age and expertise have emerged as key focuses within the house stretch of the race, particularly for Cuomo, whose marketing campaign and tremendous PAC has lately aired a number of advertisements portray Mamdani as too younger and too inexperienced.
Mamdani, who has persistently polled because the runner-up to Cuomo and lately even overtook the ex-gov in a single survey, is campaigning on a platform centered on affordability that features guarantees to freeze lease for stabilized tenants, drastically broaden sponsored youngster care and make public buses free, whereas paying for all of it by elevating taxes on millionaires and firms. That agenda would require complicated legislative and regulatory reforms, actions some critics say Mamdani could be ill-equipped to hold out.
Searching for to deal with considerations about his inexperience, Mamdani stated he’d rent the “best and the brightest” in his mayoral administration and in addition famous his administration of over 36,000 volunteers working for his marketing campaign.
Cuomo and Whitney Tilson, a former hedge fund supervisor operating on a average Democratic platform, weren’t satisfied and continued to color Mamdani’s guarantees as unrealistic.
“Mamdani math is fantasy,” Tilson stated.
Cuomo additional questioned Mamdani’s expertise by suggesting he doesn’t perceive how lease stabilization legal guidelines work in New York Metropolis.
“You should read,” Cuomo fumed after Mamdani questioned why he wouldn’t decide to as mayor freeze lease for stabilized tenants. Technically, a mayor can’t freeze the lease, because the Lease Tips Board units these charges, however the mayor appoints all members to that panel.
The custom of mayoral debates is that candidates present up for a “spin room” question-and-answer gaggle with reporters afterward.
Cuomo, who has employed a noticeably press shy technique, was the one candidate who didn’t present up for the post-debate Q&A.
“He won’t even come answer your questions,” Lander instructed reporters. “He is unfit to be mayor.”
Initially Revealed: June 12, 2025 at 10:17 PM EDT
