Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliva debate housing, urban noise and Trump

The three leading candidates for New York City mayor took the stage at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan on Thursday to make their case for leading America’s largest city.

Early voting in the race is set to begin next week, and the latest polls show Zochran Mamdani widening his lead to 46 percent, while Andrew Cuomo is at 33 percent.

The outcome of the race could have political ramifications beyond the Empire State as President Donald Trump looms and whoever wins is likely to face some pressure from Washington.

The Democratic Party nationally is likely watching to see whether America’s biggest Democratic stronghold will choose a centrist figure in Cuomo — who is running as an independent — or the progressive Mamdani.

The winner could help determine the type of candidate and platform Democrats choose going forward after their stunning loss to Trump in 2024.

Republicans will also be watching to see if their nominee, Curtis Sliva, continues to push his public safety platform.

Here are five big takeaways from tonight’s debate.

Mamdani’s past statements about Israel and the Palestinians came up several times throughout the night in both questions from moderators and criticism from opponents.

The candidate emphasized his support for the Palestinians and statehood and criticized Israel’s military operation in Gaza.

He was also criticized for refusing to condemn the phrase “globalizing the intifada” when asked by interviewers. Many Jews claim the slogan is an anti-Semitic call for violence, but pro-Palestinian activists say it is a call for international solidarity with the Palestinians.

Mamdani said he would strive to serve as mayor for all New Yorkers, including the large and ideologically diverse Jewish population.

Cuomo attacked Mamdani for his views, calling the New York state lawmaker “divisive.”

There were three candidates in tonight’s debate, but a fourth name kept coming up: Donald Trump.

The president has hinted that he wants to send the National Guard to Democratic-controlled cities and decided to withhold government funds for infrastructure projects in New York.

Trump has also prioritized the city for his mass deportation policy, and the mayor — who has little power over federal immigration enforcement — will likely have to gauge the city’s response.

Sliva, a Republican, noted that the mayor will have to get along with Trump, regardless of political views. But Mamdani made his opposition to the president explicit from his first response, vowing to “stand up to Trump.”

Meanwhile, Cuomo has positioned himself as the only candidate experienced enough to handle the current White House, warning that “it will be Mayor Trump” if Mamdani is elected.

“I fought Donald Trump,” he told voters. “When I fight for New York, I won’t stop.”

No matter how Trump looms, the biggest political issue surrounding this mayoral election is affordability. New Yorkers face a high cost of living for everything — especially rent and groceries.

In his opening remarks, Sliva acknowledged the “really serious accessibility issues” facing the city. He called on the next mayor to release vacant apartments in NYCHA — New York’s public housing program — and allow people to move in.

Moderators directly asked each candidate how much they paid for rent, groceries, and if they paid off their credit card debt monthly.

The candidates have floated a slew of proposals to address the cost of living, including Mamdani’s plan to make buses free and Cuomo’s proposal to impose income limits on people living in rent-stabilized apartments.

Cuomo criticized Mamdani for living in a rent-stabilized apartment — a form of affordable housing — even though his parents are wealthy (his mother is filmmaker Mira Nair).

Cuomo also opposed Mamdani’s proposed freeze on rent-stabilized apartments, saying it would only delay future increases, force building owners into bankruptcy and fail New Yorkers who don’t live in rent-stabilized apartments.

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

Cuomo touted his decades of experience in the office, rising from federal housing secretary during President Bill Clinton’s administration to governor of New York.

Controversy surrounding his governorship, however, overshadowed his campaign. He resigned as governor in 2021 after an attorney general’s investigation found he sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo apologized for acting “in a way that made people feel uncomfortable” but denied the allegations.

New York’s attorney general is also investigating his administration for understating nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic, finding that it underestimated the actual number of deaths.

Mamdani attacked Cuomo on those issues, accusing him of “sending old people to their deaths in nursing homes” and accusing him of a lack of integrity.

Cuomo said allegations of harm to elderly people in nursing homes are “absolutely false.”

“During Covid, everybody was doing what they could in this state, and there were multiple investigations where they went through that, and they said we followed federal guidelines,” Cuomo said. “But yes, people died during Covid. And my heart goes out to everyone who is broken, who died in this state and in this nation.”

Sliva also attacked Cuomo for “the lawsuits brought against you for sexual harassment.” The former governor refuted this case filed by New York State Attorney General Letitia Jameswho investigated allegations of misconduct “was political.”

Sliva remained the only Republican on the scene.

His voting bloc may be in the minority in New York, but the 2024 presidential election has revealed that residents are prioritizing public safety issues, and Sliva has repeatedly said so. As the founder of Guardian Angels, a New York organization dedicated to crime prevention, he seized the opportunity to connect with voters.

The longtime New York media and political personality knew how to be heard. He often interjected by telling the moderators he wanted to speak and elbowed his way into the debate’s most heated moments. From center stage, he took a swing at both of his opponents in equal measure.

He was feeling confident after the debate, saying his night had gone “extremely well” and likening his opponents to “two kids in the schoolyard.