Andrew Cuomo was the winner of the ultimate New York Metropolis mayoral election debate — passing with flying colours as front-runner Zohran Mamdani barely made the grade, a Publish panel of political consultants stated.
Mamdani, the lefty Democratic nominee, was left sweating on stage Wednesday night time as he took massive hits from impartial hopeful Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, making a poor displaying with lower than two weeks earlier than the election.
“Cuomo received the controversy,” Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, stated of the 90 minute slugfest hosted by Spectrum NY1.
“He had a great night time. He landed extra punches and uncovered weaknesses in Mamdani’s presentation. He introduced doubts about Mamdani.”
Right here’s how The Publish’s group of bipartisan consultants graded the candidates:
Andrew Cuomo: A to A+ efficiency
The longtime politician and three-term governor stole the stage, firing off a lot sharper and extra pointed assaults after a poor displaying within the first basic election debate final week.
This time, he was efficient at making his case that Mamdani, a 34-year-old state assemblyman, was too inexperienced to steer Metropolis Corridor, repeatedly placing him on his heels, the panelists stated.
“He was tonight’s massive winner. An A+,” Republican strategist Rob Ryan stated of the lifelong Democrat.
“Cuomo was the one candidate who appeared prepared to steer on day one. His assault on Mamdani’s lack of expertise was sturdy, heading in the right direction, and appeared to rattle Mamdani.”
Veteran communication specialist Andrew Kirtzman additionally gave Cuomo excessive marks — and famous that “if he had carried out this nicely all 12 months, he may not be within the scenario he’s in now.”
“Cuomo had his greatest night time of his marketing campaign – he was sharp, fast and brutal in his assaults on Mamdani,” Kirtzman stated.
“It was a reminder of the formidable, feared determine he was as governor. He has appeared diminished for a lot of this marketing campaign. Not tonight.”
For seemingly the primary time, Cuomo was notably efficient in confronting the Israel-bashing Mamdani on the problem of antisemitism, and likewise left the lefty pol rattled when he introduced up his smiling photograph with a gay-hating politician from Uganda, the consultants stated.
“When Cuomo attacked him over the gay-hating Ugandan official, Mamdani turned visibly nervous. Throughout his response, his eyelids have been flapping sooner than a Monarch butterfly on its approach to Mexico,” quipped Ryan.
Zohran Mamdani: B- to D efficiency
The normally smooth-talking front-runner had a surprisingly poor efficiency, showing shocked throughout a few of the assaults from his rivals.
“He appeared rattled by Cuomo’s pounding assaults on his lack of expertise. It wiped away his typical smirk and he had no actual response,” stated Ryan, who gave Mamdani a D.
One of many worst moments of the controversy for Mamdani was self-inflicted, the panelists stated.
He refused to take a place on a poll initiative geared toward making it simpler to construct extra reasonably priced housing — a difficulty he claims to champion.
“His lack of specifics on key points like poll initiatives gave Cuomo and Sliwa a gap to go on the assault,” stated Democratic operative and lobbyist Yvette Buckner.
Miringoff stated “oxygen went out of the room ” when Mamdani ducked as an alternative of taking a place on the housing initiative.
“That was the closest you will get to an ‘aha’ second. He regarded so much like a politician for the primary time. He was hemming and hawing. He was inconsistent. He was dodging,” the pollster stated.
Listed below are some highlights from the ultimate 2025 NYC Mayoral Debate
Kirtzman famous that Cuomo and Sliwa have been “actually laughing at him from either side.”
“Mamdani is an especially proficient debater however he appeared besieged,” he stated, including the Dem nominee nonetheless walked away with a B-.
Curtis Sliwa: A efficiency
Sliwa notched some breakout moments, distinguishing himself from each Mamdani and Cuomo, the panelists stated.
“Sliwa had a terrific night time. He has grown as a candidate this 12 months – it’s spectacular,” Kirtzman stated.
Sliwa incessantly delivered zingers towards Cuomo, as he did towards Mamdani.
“The allegations of sexual harassment continued to hang-out Cuomo. They reinforce folks’s negatives about him,” Miringoff stated of the assaults, launched towards the ex-governor by each of the candidates.
Sliwa additionally shined when slamming a regulation that Cuomo signed as governor which raised the age of prison accountability from 16 to 18, the consultants famous.
Cuomo defended signing the controversial Elevate the Age invoice, which has mandated that some teenagers who commit violent crimes get handled as juveniles as an alternative of adults, and Mamdani additionally backed the edict.
However Sliwa railed towards the regulation, noting that his son Anthony was attacked by juveniles who received a slap on the wrist as an alternative of extreme punishment.
“Nobody needed to combine with Sliwa on that one,” Miringoff stated.
Last ideas forward of the Nov. 4 election
Democratic operative Ken Frydman stated Cuomo and Sliwa “most likely every picked up polling factors” because of the debate.
“But it surely’s extremely unlikely both of them can shut the vast hole towards Mamdani” earlier than the Nov. 4 election, he stated.
The Democratic Socialists of America candidate has benefitted from divided opposition throughout the marketing campaign, with Cuomo and Sliwa splitting the anti-Mamdani vote.
“The issue for Cuomo, although, is that he wanted each of them [Mamdani and Sliwa] to have a nasty night time,” Kirtzman stated.
“If Sliwa’s numbers don’t fall there isn’t a approach Cuomo can win.”
And Mamdani nonetheless had some fantastic moments, together with leaking his intention to maintain Jessica Tisch as police commissioner to the media previous to debate — after which confirming it when requested about it on stage, the panelists stated.
The transfer was geared toward easing issues that Mamdani, who beforehand advocated defunding the police, received’t be powerful on crime.
He additionally had a intelligent second.
“A key second is when Mamdani stated he would checklist Sliwa second on his ranked selection poll [if there was one for the general election],” stated John Mollenkopf, director of CUNY’s Heart for City Analysis.
“It was two towards one and Cuomo got here out the more serious for it.”
Nonetheless, the consensus was that the performances from Sliwa and Cuomo outperformed Mamdani’s lackluster show.
“Mamdani had the weakest efficiency on this debate. The race would possibly tighten up somewhat bit. It could be too little, too late. We’ll discover out,” Miringoff stated.
