Mamdani Faces Firestorm in NYC Mayoral Debate

With less than three weeks until New Yorkers choose their next mayor, the gloves came off Thursday night in a fiery debate that saw Democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani desperately trying to defend his far-left record on policing, housing, and foreign policy.

Mamdani currently leading in the polls was repeatedly grilled by his two rivals, former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, over his troubling past statements and radical policy positions. From calls to defund the police to sidestepping criticism of Hamas, Mamdani’s performance showed a candidate on the defensive, lacking both credibility and command.

Here’s what went down:

• Public Safety Crisis: Cuomo wasted no time reminding voters of Mamdani's anti-police rhetoric. “He believes in defunding the police, disarming the police, disbanding the police,” Cuomo declared. Mamdani tried to walk back his 2020 tweets, but the damage was done especially in a city suffering from a 31% spike in felony assaults over the past four years.

• Housing Delusion: Mamdani's proposal to "freeze the rent" was shredded by both opponents. Cuomo pointed out the obvious: rent freezes are temporary gimmicks that hurt long-term housing availability. New York already has over 70,000 homeless people, the highest number since the Great Depression, and Mamdani’s plan would only push that number higher.

• Soft on Crime, Soft on Terror: Mamdani's prior refusal to condemn Hamas was a major flashpoint. On the debate stage, he begrudgingly admitted support for Hamas disarming after dodging the question just one day earlier in a Fox News interview. His hedging only confirmed what many fear: Mamdani cannot be trusted when it counts.

Sliwa, representing the GOP in a deeply blue city, hammered Mamdani for his lack of support for Jewish New Yorkers amid rising antisemitism. “Jews don’t trust that you’ll be there for them,” Sliwa warned. His criticism landed especially hard in a city where anti-Jewish hate crimes have surged over 200% since 2020.

Cuomo, despite his own baggage, made the case that experience matters. “This is not a job for a first timer,” he said, referring to Mamdani’s thin résumé. “He’s literally never had a job.”

Mamdani’s response? A hollow appeal to "integrity." But that doesn't fix subways, stop crime, or create housing. The truth is, Mamdani's record is loaded with reckless ideologies, not results.

Still, the democratic socialist maintains a double-digit lead, pulling 46% in the latest Quinnipiac poll. Cuomo is gaining ground at 33%, and Sliwa holds steady at 15%. That’s a tightening race especially since Cuomo has drawn support from moderate Democrats still smarting from Eric Adams’ implosion and withdrawal.

Despite leading the field, Mamdani remains a pariah among top Democrats. Neither Chuck Schumer nor Hakeem Jeffries have endorsed him. His only major backer, Gov. Kathy Hochul, has already distanced herself from Mamdani’s future plans.

Here’s the bottom line: New York City is teetering on a knife’s edge. The last thing it needs is a radical activist with no experience, no solutions, and no spine. Voters should think twice before handing the keys to Gracie Mansion to someone who once thought disbanding the NYPD was a good idea.

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