The three leading candidates to become New York City’s next mayor will face each other Thursday evening on a debate stage.
The debate is expected to include independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. Cuomo initially ran as a Democrat but lost in a primary to Mamdani.
Mamdani enters 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.
The same poll also showed voters being more enthusiastic about Mamdani, with 90% of his supporters saying they are somewhat or very enthusiastic about voting for him. Only two-thirds of Cuomo supporters said the same thing.
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Mamdani has been in the New York State Assembly since 2021. He considers himself a democratic socialist and has aligned himself with the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
In 2021, he became the third Muslim to ever serve in the New York State Assembly. Prior to elected office, he was a foreclosure-prevention housing counselor, “helping low-income homeowners of color across Queens fight off eviction and stay in their homes.”
Mamdani has sparked ire from President Donald Trump, who has claimed that Mamdani is a communist. President Trump has also suggested he would send National Guard troops to New York if Mamdani were to win.
Mamdani said he does not consider himself a communist but has claimed that his campaign is a threat to billionaires.
Cuomo’s entry into the mayoral election came four years after he resigned following an investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who concluded that the governor had sexually harassed at least 11 women. Numerous Democratic Party leaders, including President Joe Biden, urged Cuomo to resign. Cuomo was about halfway through his third term as governor when he resigned.
The race will not include Mayor Eric Adams, who opted to drop out. He was polling behind Cuomo and Mamdani at the time he exited.
