The three leading candidates to become New York City’s next mayor — Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa — faced each other Thursday evening on the debate stage.
Hi everyone! @AlexMillerNews here following the NYC mayoral general election debate tonight.
We'll have democratic nominee @ZohranKMamdani, independent @andrewcuomo and republican @CurtisSliwa on the stage tonight.
🧵Follow along here for the most important moments.
— Scripps News (@scrippsnews) October 16, 2025
The candidates clashed on everything from crime, homelessness, and education, to President Donald Trump, the Middle East and immigration. They were each also asked by the moderators to create their own headline to sway voters. Here's what they said:
- Cuomo: Rent down, crime down, education score, more jobs in NYC. Optimism high.
- Sliwa: Sliwa exceeds all expectations, looks mayoral.
- Mamdani: Mamdani continues to take on Trump, delivers on affordability for New Yorkers.
Mamdani entered Thursday’s debate as the favorite, given he is polling well ahead of Cuomo and Sliwa. In a poll released last week by Quinnipiac University, Mamdani led Cuomo 46-33, with Sliwa polling a distant third.
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Cuomo attempted to stunt Mamdani's momentum, offering pointed criticism of the 33-year-old New York assemblyman's experience.
"This is not a job for someone who has no management experience to run 300,000 people, no financial experience to run a $115 billion budget," Cuomo said. "He literally has never had a job on his resume."
Mamdani, 33, has been in the New York State Assembly since 2021. He considers himself a democratic socialist and has centered his campaign on making New York City a more affordable place to live.
To pay for things like free bus fare and child care, Mamdani said he would tax the wealthy.
He also believes he's a more trustworthy candidate. Numerous times during the debate, Mamdani brought up sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo and criticized his leadership as governor of New York at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"What I don't have in experience, I make up for in integrity, and what you don't have in integrity, you could never make up for in experience," he said.
While Sliwa stood between Mamdani and Cuomo and tried to make his case, it was clear the two leading candidates were more inclined to go after each other and talk about their own policies.
One of the more notable moments was when the candidates were asked if they've ever purchased anything from a marijuana shop in New York. While Cuomo said no and Sliwa said he has used marijuana for medical purposes, Mamdani said he has purchased legal marijuana.
It remains unclear whether Thursday night's debate will change the polls. Election Day is Nov. 4.
