‘Resigned in disgrace, sexually harassed 13 women’: How Mamdani took down Cuomo in 3 debates
During the final debate, Zohran Mamdani faced criticism over his lack of experience, while Andrew Cuomo was questioned about the sexual harassment allegations.
Democrat Zohran Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo clashed in the final debate of New York City’s mayoral race on Wednesday, ahead of the election on Saturday. While each candidate criticised the others over a range of issues, Mamdani, reportedly leading in both polls and political betting markets, drew attention for targeting Cuomo and portraying him as a failure unable to bring change to the city.
During the second and final debate, Mamdani faced criticism over his lack of experience, Cuomo was questioned about the sexual harassment allegations that forced him from office, and Sliwa aimed to demonstrate his seriousness as a candidate.
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Mamdani has emerged as the front-runner over Cuomo due to the issues he raised during debates and his strong social media campaign, including the Democratic primary debate held in June this year.
Democratic primary debate
When Cuomo and Mamdani clashed as Democratic primary rivals in June, the former New York governor was targeted from all sides in an attempt to challenge his lead at the time.
Mamdani said during the debate, “To Mr Cuomo, I have never had to resign in disgrace. I have never cut Medicaid. I have never stolen hundreds of millions of dollars from the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority).”
He also added, “The name is Mamdani. M-A-M-D-A-N-I. You should learn how to say it because we got to get it right.”
First NYC mayoral race debate
Now running as an independent, Cuomo clashed with Mamdani again during the first New York mayoral debate last week, where the former governor targeted the Democratic front-runner over his lack of experience. “This is not a job for a first-timer,” he said, adding that being mayor “is no job for on-the-job training.”
Hitting back at Cuomo, Mamdani criticised him over integrity and frequently raised the sexual harassment investigation against him. “What I don’t have in experience, I make up for in integrity. What you don’t have in integrity, you can never make up for with experience,” he said.
Final NYC mayoral race debate
Cuomo again targeted Mamdani over his lack of experience. “You have never had a job. You’ve never accomplished anything,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mamdani invited one of Cuomo's accusers to appear in the audience. He said Charlotte Bennett, one of the women who accused Cuomo of sexual harassment, was present. “What do you say to the 13 women that you sexually harassed?” he asked, pressing Cuomo on the allegations.
The former governor denied any wrongdoing. “If you want to be in government, then you have to be serious and mature,” he said.
Notably, Bennett was the second woman to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment, alleging he subjected her to invasive questions about her personal life and sexual relationships.
