In the first debate of the New York City mayoral primary, the front-runner, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, was expected to be the focal point of attack for the other eight Democratic candidates onstage Wednesday night.
It did not take long for that expectation to be realized.
In his first real confrontation with his opponents in the race, Mr. Cuomo defended his handling of the pandemic, denied the sexual harassment allegations that led to his resignation and said he would not be swayed by the wealthy donors who have poured millions into groups allied with his campaign.
Mr. Cuomo, who has maintained a double-digit lead over the rest of the primary field in nearly every poll of the race, largely criticized Zohran Mamdani, the progressive state assemblyman who is in second place, as inexperienced and too far to the left.
The two-hour debate descended into chaos on more than one occasion, as the candidates shouted at one another, the cacophony worsening when the moderators jumped in to interrupt.
Here are five takeaways from the debate. The primary will be held June 24.
Cuomo and Trump were the common enemies.
Mr. Cuomo’s rivals were determined to highlight his baggage and force him to address it, which created moments at which the former governor appeared frustrated and dismissive of the accusations.
The federal investigation examining whether he lied to Congress about nursing home deaths during the pandemic? Mr. Cuomo said that it was politically motivated.
The sexual harassment allegations by 11 women? Unfounded, Mr. Cuomo said, though he did acknowledge his apology to the women in 2021.
“I said at the time that if I offended anyone it was unintentional, but I apologize, and I say that today,” he said.
The prominent donors who have given generously to a super PAC supporting Mr. Cuomo, including DoorDash? (The food delivery service gave the super PAC $1 million.)
Mr. Cuomo insisted he would not be influenced by the donations, even as Scott Stringer, a former city comptroller, said they were examples of “buying the mayoralty.”
“I don’t care who gave me what,” Mr. Cuomo said.
President Trump’s name was mentioned more than 80 times as the candidates sought to outline how they would stand up to him while defending the city against his retribution.
Mr. Mamdani said he would fight Mr. Trump’s budget cuts and threats of mass deportations.
“I am Donald Trump’s worst nightmare, as a progressive Muslim immigrant who actually fights for the things that I believe in,” he said.
Cuomo and Mamdani fought the most over corruption and experience.
Mr. Cuomo and Mr. Mamdani had several heated exchanges over Mr. Cuomo’s record, Mr. Mamdani’s limited experience and their respective views on Israel.
Each candidate landed some punches.
Mr. Cuomo questioned whether Mr. Mamdani could lead the city.
“Donald Trump would go through Mr. Mamdani like a hot knife through butter,” Mr. Cuomo said. “He’s been in government 27 minutes. He passed three bills.”
Mr. Mamdani, for his part, said that Mr. Cuomo could not be trusted to confront President Trump because he was allied with some of the same wealthy donors who supported the president.
“I don’t have to pick up the phone from Bill Ackman or Ken Langone,” he said, referring to the ultrawealthy business owners aligned with the president.
The debate ended with a tense exchange over Israel.
Mr. Cuomo said he would take his first trip as mayor to Israel and criticized Mr. Mamdani for not committing to going there.
“His answer was no. He won’t visit Israel,” Mr. Cuomo said.
Michael Blake and Adrienne Adams seized their moments in the spotlight.
Michael Blake, the former state assemblyman and White House aide who is near the bottom in the polls, had a few memorable moments.
He regularly interjected throughout the debate, asking Mr. Cuomo to take accountability for deaths in nursing homes during the pandemic and to highlighting comments Mr. Cuomo made in 2008 that Mr. Blake, who is Black, said were racially insensitive toward former President Barack Obama.
(Mr. Cuomo referred to candidates who “shuck and jive,” but said at the time that he was not referring to Mr. Obama.)
During a conversation about public safety, Mr. Blake abruptly turned the conversation to the sexual harassment allegations against Mr. Cuomo.
“The people who don’t feel safe are young women, mothers and grandmothers around Andrew Cuomo,” he said. “That’s the greatest threat to public safety in New York City.”
Mr. Blake’s closing remarks were in Jamaican patois, as he said he would make his first visit as mayor to the Caribbean island, where his family is from.
Adrienne Adams, the City Council speaker who entered the race later than her rivals, appeared calm and used several questions to highlight her experience in city government.
She landed her most notable punches after Mr. Cuomo said he had no regrets about his record as governor.
“No regrets when it comes to cutting Medicaid or health care?” Ms. Adams interjected. “No regrets when it comes cutting child care?”
Ms. Adams also accused him of slow-walking access to vaccines and personal protective equipment, which disproportionately harmed Black and Latino New Yorkers.
“Really, no regrets?” she said.
The issue is personal for her: Her father died of Covid-19 in 2020 after being unable to seek care at Elmhurst Hospital near his home in Queens.
There was unity on protecting immigrants.
One issue where most of the candidates found common ground was protecting immigrants.
The candidates expressed similar views about resisting Mr. Trump’s deportation agenda and criticized the incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, for not doing more to stand up to the president.
In some cases, they spoke about their own immigrant backgrounds — immigrants comprise nearly 40 percent of the city’s population.
In an effort to draw a stark contrast with Mr. Adams and Mr. Trump, the candidates took a largely progressive approach to their immigration proposals. Ms. Adams said she would warn undocumented immigrants in the city about possible deportation actions by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Brad Lander, the city comptroller, also defended a high school student named Dylan who was detained by federal immigration officials.
“We’ve got to stand up, make sure folks have legal services, and that New York City has their back,” Mr. Lander said.
Jessica Ramos, a state senator from Queens, responded to an immigration question in Spanish and said that she wanted to make sure that immigrants had lawyers and that they could work.
Most agreed that the Trump administration’s detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate student, was unconstitutional.
The issue could become more complicated in the general election, when the winner will face Mr. Adams, who is running as an independent, and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate. Both have taken more aggressive positions toward immigrants.
A series of rapid-fire questions yielded revealing answers.
The candidates named the national leaders they admire and the wide range of prices they pay for housing.
Asked by the moderators who was the most effective Democrat in the nation, Mr. Cuomo, Ms. Adams and Mr. Stringer named Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader.
Mr. Mamdani and Mr. Lander said Michelle Wu, the progressive mayor of Boston. Mr. Blake named himself. Whitney Tilson, a former hedge fund executive, named Cory Booker, the New Jersey senator. Zellnor Myrie, a state senator from Brooklyn, named Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the New York Senate majority leader. Ms. Ramos picked Wes Moore, the Maryland governor.
(Notably, none of the left-leaning candidates named Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Senator Bernie Sanders, who have captured national attention on the left.)
And when it comes to the city’s sky-high housing costs, the debate showed that some of the candidates are getting a deal.
Asked what they pay each month for rent or a mortgage, Ms. Adams said she owned her home and that it was paid off. Mr. Mamdani said he paid $2,300 in rent for his rent-stabilized apartment. Mr. Blake said he spends about $1,800 for the home that he owns. Mr. Myrie said his rent-stabilized apartment was $1,300. Ms. Ramos said $2,500.
Mr. Lander said his mortgage was $3,300. Mr. Cuomo had the steepest rent at $7,800. (He told The New York Times it was $8,000.) Mr. Tilson said he owned his home and paid about $5,000 per month in maintenance fees and taxes.
Mr. Stringer went last and appeared miffed: “I’m getting ripped off: $6,400.”
Emma G. Fitzsimmons is the City Hall bureau chief for The Times, covering Mayor Eric Adams and his administration.
Maya King is a Times reporter covering New York politics.
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