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Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa sparred over serious topics like the Israel-Hamas war and President Trump, and more curious subjects like parade attendance.
Oct. 16, 2025Updated 11:17 p.m. ET
The first debate in the general election of the New York City mayor’s race was a bitter and combative affair, with the three candidates trading personal attacks, disagreeing fiercely over the Israel-Hamas war and questioning their rivals’ credentials.
Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic front-runner, took an aggressive stance toward his main opponent, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, as well as toward President Trump — seeking to project strength and to make the case that he would stand up to Mr. Trump while Mr. Cuomo was beholden to the president.
Mr. Cuomo, 67, who is in second place in the polls, had a more difficult job: to land a meaningful punch against Mr. Mamdani, 33, and cast himself as a common-sense, experienced alternative. Curtis Sliwa, 71, the Republican candidate, fought for speaking time, lashing out at both Mr. Mamdani and Mr. Cuomo.
Here are seven takeaways from the debate. The candidates will face off again on Oct. 22, ahead of the Nov. 4 election.
Mamdani goes into attack mode.
Even with a strong lead in the polls, Mr. Mamdani did not play it safe. He aggressively attacked Mr. Cuomo, arguing that the former governor did not understand the city’s affordability crisis and did not have integrity.
Mr. Mamdani drew attention to Mr. Cuomo’s attacks over his rent-stabilized apartment in Queens. Mr. Cuomo argued that only working-class residents should qualify for those apartments.
