Zohran Mamdani, Curtis Sliwa and Andrew Cuomo, the three candidates in New York City’s mayoral race, clashed during the final NYC mayoral debate last week. As Cornell voters prepared to cast their ballots on Nov. 4, students from New York City expressed mixed reactions to the arguments made onstage and the candidates' campaigns.
Vying for the seat as mayor of New York City, the Democratic nominee, Mamdani, currently holds the lead against Republican candidate Sliwa and independent candidate Cuomo.
The Oct. 22 debate lasted two hours, as the three candidates debated topics like the Israel-Hamas war, crime, activism, quality of life and mass transit in the city.
Mamdani, a New York assemblymember and Democratic socialist whose campaign centers around lowering the cost of living, was criticized by his opponents for a lack of work experience. Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, plans to “fix New York City” and published a 100-day plan to do so, according to his campaign website. In the debate, he was also questioned about a lack of management experience. Cuomo, the former New York governor who lost the Democratic primary and relaunched his campaign as an independent candidate, focused his campaign on public safety, but fell under fire during the debate for sexual harassment complaints and a scandal regarding nursing home deaths amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a steadfast supporter of Mamdani and a resident of Manhattan, Leah Badawi ’27, who is also a Sun opinion columnist, wrote that she felt “much more confident” in her choice after hearing the candidates speak.
Badawi recalled a key moment of the debate for her, which was when each candidate was asked whether they would cooperate with the Trump administration. While she noted that the general sentiment was that the mayor would have to cooperate, she found that “Mamdani was the only one who said that he would not actively see his position as an automatic requirement to negotiate with Trump.”
On the other hand, Leo Glasgow ’26, who is a Sun opinion columnist and a Queens resident, questioned Mamdani’s intentions, suspecting that he was chasing a “viral” moment during his remarks.
“Mamdani is no fool, but it’s clear that making a viral video is always on the back of his mind,” Glasgow wrote in a statement to The Sun. “The state of the world today means that the mayoral debate is less important than the clips that will be cut out of it and posted online.”
Brooklyn resident Jaiden Fisher-Dayn ’27 canvassed for Mamdani’s campaign over the summer and felt reaffirmed in his decision to support the young candidate after watching the debate, despite believing that Cuomo had his “strongest” debate yet.
Although “strong,” Fisher-Dayn felt that Cuomo’s argument sounded more like “an anti-Mamdani campaign rather than a Pro-Cuomo campaign,” and he did not appreciate what he believed was Cuomo’s “resort[ing] to lying” about Mamdani’s campaign positions.
Despite disagreeing with many of Sliwa’s policies, Fisher-Dayn also acknowledged that the candidate made the debate “quite entertaining” to watch. Ultimately, Fisher-Dayn appreciated Mamdani’s attitude.
“One thing that stood out to me is Mamdani’s emphasis on being a mayor for all New Yorkers,” Fisher-Dayn wrote. “In response to attacks from Cuomo and Sliwa, Mamdani reaffirmed his commitment to serving all of those who live in New York City, especially those who may disagree with him on certain issues.”
Some students maintained neutrality after watching the debate.
Though deeming Sliwa as “the realest New Yorker,” Glasgow wrote that he would not strongly support any particular candidate. After watching the debate, he felt discouraged about the options for the city’s next mayor.
“As I was looking at the three of them, I thought to myself: there’s no way that these three are the best New York City has to offer,” Glasgow wrote.
Calling the debate a “perfect picture” of American politics with “two Democrats that can’t stand each other, and a republican who doesn’t support the Republican president,” Glasgow wrote that, as an American, he’s disappointed to not have a mayoral candidate that he would support.
Faryll Jaffee ’27, a resident of Queens, has decided to abstain from voting in this mayoral election, but said that the debate was a “hallmark of democracy.” But despite its virtue, she said that it seemed unlikely to change the minds of audience members who have already established alignments with the candidates.
“While a debate may or may not be successful in persuading voters to one side or another … I think it is amazing to see how the candidates answer different questions when they don't have a chance to not answer,” Jaffee said.
Varsha Bhargava is a member of the Class of 2027 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She is a news editor for the 143rd Editorial Board and can be reached at vbhargava@cornellsun.com.
