Cuomo and Sliwa aim to blunt Mamdani’s momentum in first NYC mayoral debate
October 16, 2025
New York City mayoral candidates Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa are slated to face off in a debate. The candidates will meet Thursday as voters prepare to choose who will be the next to lead America’s biggest city. Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, defeated Cuomo in the city’s Democratic primary this summer. But Cuomo has relaunched his campaign to run on an independent ballot line in the general election, hoping that the city’s moderate and conservative voters will help him defeat the progressive Mamdani in their rematch.