Live Updates: Mamdani debates Cuomo in NYC mayoral race

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from New York

It’s a debate evening in New York.

Three candidates are vying to be the next mayor of America’s largest city and will take the stage at 30 Rockefeller Center in Manhattan at 7 p.m. local time.

The candidates are Democrats Zohran Mamdaniformer governor of New York State Andrew Cuomo, and Republican candidate Curtis Slawa.

This is an election that has received national attention and whose final outcome will have political consequences across the country. The contest is a litmus test for the Democratic Party, which is seeking to sharpen its message after last November’s election defeats that saw President Donald Trump’s Republicans win the White House and both houses of Congress.

Trump, a New York native, frequently criticizes Mamdani.

The 33-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise and his left-wing campaign has ruffled feathers within his own Democratic Party.

To get here, Mamdani beat Cuomo in the Democratic primary. That forced Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 after sexual harassment allegations, to continue his push for mayor as an independent candidate.

Sliwa is the Republican candidate who faces an uphill battle to win votes in a city famously liberal. Sliwa was pressured to withdraw from the race, in order to force voters to choose between Mamdani and Cuomo. But he refused to back down.

Stay with us as we cover and analyze what promises to be a fascinating debate.