With the Democratic mayoral primary in New York City looming on Tuesday, the candidates are making their closing arguments to voters.
The New York Times analyzed excerpts from recent speeches by the top four candidates in the polls — Andrew Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani, Brad Lander and Adrienne Adams — to highlight and explain their central campaign messages.
Andrew M. Cuomo
Mr. Cuomo, 67, is trying to make a comeback four years after resigning as New York’s governor amid a sexual harassment scandal. He denies wrongdoing and has run as a moderate who has the most experience and fortitude to stand up to President Trump.
The setting: Union Square in Manhattan, one week before Primary Day, with labor leaders who endorsed him and hundreds of union members.
The goal: Mr. Cuomo sought to portray himself as the candidate of working-class New Yorkers who are eager to reorient the Democratic Party nationally after its 2024 losses.
The speech:
I am proud to stand before you in Union Square as the candidate of organized labor: 650,000 women and men. I represent you, and I thank you for that honor.
Look, let’s be honest: New York City is in trouble. You can feel it when you walk down the street. You can see it in the homeless people. You can see it when you walk down into the subway. You can see it in the rising crime.
And this Election Day, this is not just about electing a mayor. This is about defining what the Democratic Party is all about, because we believe the Democratic Party has lost its way.
The Democratic Party is supposed to be — my Democratic Party, my father’s Democratic Party, your Democratic Party — was about the working men and women of this city who struggle for their families, who are working hard to pay for groceries, pay for the rent, pay for tuition, and needed help.
I am tired of what I call the “Twitter Democrats” who tweet. You don’t create jobs by tweeting. I am a “do-something Democrat.” And I’m going to tell you right now what we’re going to do the first 30 days when I get into office.
We’re going to start by making New York City safe again. We’re going to throw out that stupid ‘defund the police’ plan and that stupid ‘dismantle the police’ plan. We’re going to hire 5,000 police so we can keep our city safe.
First 30 days, we’re going to put up legislation to raise the minimum wage to put more money in the pockets of the working men and women of the city.
We’re going to get the homeless mentally ill out of the subways and off the streets and get them the help they need and make the city safe.
And we’re going to address the affordability crisis. The real problem is the rent is just too damn high because we don’t have enough affordable housing. And the reason we don’t have enough affordable housing is because we didn’t build enough affordable housing.
We’ve had a government that has been an obstacle to construction. In this city, it can take you years to get permits. It can take you years to get through the agencies. And then a project goes to the New York City Council, and they say that’s where a project goes to die. They work on approvals for six, seven, eight, nine, 10 years. We built LaGuardia Airport faster than they approve permits in that city government. That has got to change.
The good news is we know how to make government work. We showed that on the state level. And we know how to build. We built a new Mario Cuomo Bridge — on time, on budget. A new Second Avenue Subway — on time, on budget.
We built this city, the greatest city on the globe, and it was built by organized labor.
Key takeaways: More than most candidates, Mr. Cuomo has used the race’s large platform to dive into a national intraparty fight. Mr. Cuomo has been dismissive of the left and returned to his centrist roots with proposals for increasing the size of the police force and cutting regulations for developers.
He had relatively little to say in this speech about Mr. Trump. He has fiercely attacked the president in other settings, but may have been playing to blue-collar laborers in the audience who view the president more favorably.
The Union Square speech typified how Mr. Cuomo selectively talks about his time as governor on the campaign trail. He has emphasized major infrastructure projects like the LaGuardia Airport renovation and the Second Avenue subway line. But he has avoided mentioning past scandals, like the sexual harassment claims that ended his governorship, or accusations that his administration sought to cover up the number of Covid-related deaths tied to state nursing homes.
Zohran Mamdani
Mr. Mamdani, 33, a state assemblyman from Queens and a democratic socialist, has run as the candidate who can tackle affordability. He has released a series of populist proposals to freeze rents on rent-stabilized apartments and to make buses free. He would help pay for them by raising taxes on wealthy residents and businesses.
The setting: A rally at Terminal 5, a music venue in Manhattan, with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the first day of early voting.
The goal: Mamdani relied on Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, the city’s most prominent progressive leader who endorsed him, to bolster his message of making the city more affordable.
The speech:
There are over 3,000 New Yorkers here this evening and thousands more watching from home. New Yorkers who believe that living here shouldn’t be a daily grind of anxiety. New Yorkers who are ready to turn the page on years of corruption and incompetence. To reject the politics of distraction and fear, of big money and small vision, of cowardice and collaboration in the face of Trump’s authoritarianism.
New Yorkers who are ready for a new generation of leadership that puts working people first.
We stand on the verge of a victory that will resonate across the country and the world. Make no mistake: This victory will be historic, not just because of who I am — a Muslim immigrant and proud democratic socialist — but for what we will do: make this city affordable for everyone.
I think of a woman I met on the BX33 in the Bronx, who said to me: “I used to love New York, but now it’s just where I live.” We’re going to make this city one that working people can love once again.
When we launched this campaign on a cold October evening, few thought we could win. Only a couple more could even pronounce my name. Andrew Cuomo still can’t.
The so-called experts said we’d be lucky to break 5 percent. But I always knew that we would build a campaign like this.
What does winning look like? It looks like a rent-stabilized retiree who wakes up on the first of every month, knowing the amount they’re going to pay hasn’t soared since the month before.
Together, New York, we’re going to freeze the rent.
It looks like a single mom who can drop her kids off at school and know she won’t be late to work, because her bus will arrive on time and cost nothing at all.
Together, New York, we’re going to make buses fast and free.
It looks like a young family that doesn’t have to move to the suburbs because child care doesn’t cost more than college. In fact, it’s free.
Together, New York, we’re going to deliver universal child care.
And it looks like safety for everyone — whether you’re on the street, riding the subway, or in a house of worship — with our Department of Community Safety. We’ll invest in the mental health services that we know work and we’ll tackle the rise in hate crimes that fill too many Jewish and Muslim New Yorkers with fear.
We’re going to win the city we deserve, my friends. And it’s going to be one we can afford. One where we can dream again.
Key takeaways: Mr. Mamdani’s speech was a crowd-pleaser, and with good reason: It promised a city safe and affordable for everyone. He also appealed to his younger supporters who are eager for a new generation of leaders.
He did not delve much into how the city would pay for the initiatives, or how he would persuade state leaders to sign off on some of his proposals. And while he spoke of experts who were initially skeptical of his chances of winning, he said little about one of the central arguments against his election: his lack of experience.
Mr. Mamdani mentioned the prospect of becoming the city’s first Muslim mayor, but also addressed concerns of Jewish voters by saying he would tackle antisemitic hate crimes.
Brad Lander
Mr. Lander, 55, the city comptroller, is a stalwart of the left and opted to run for mayor instead of seeking a second term as comptroller. He has focused on his competency as a manager and his opposition to Mr. Trump.
The setting: John Jay High School in Brooklyn on Thursday, after casting his ballot with his wife and two children.
The goal: Two days before the speech, Mr. Lander was arrested by federal agents as he tried to escort a migrant from an immigration court in Manhattan. The arrest garnered widespread attention, and Mr. Lander sought to use the incident as an example of his commitment to all New Yorkers.
The speech:
On Tuesday, Meg and I went to 26 Federal Plaza, as I’ve done twice before, as part of a growing movement to bear witness to what is happening in federal immigration courts. We were able to escort one family of four — with extraordinarily cute and brave young daughters — out of the building, and help connect them to legal assistance.
Then, we went back upstairs, where we met Edgardo, a migrant from Venezuela whose asylum-seeker status had just been revoked in court. As you all saw in the video, we tried to escort him to the elevators, where we were met by federal agents, many in masks and without uniforms, who pried apart our grip, handcuffed us, and detained us both.
Four hours later, I was released, but Edgardo wasn’t. We still don’t know where Trump’s masked ICE agents took him. He is almost certainly still in ICE detention somewhere, with no lawyer, no due process, no chance to explain his fear of persecution.
Our country is facing a crisis, with Donald Trump corrupting the fundamental idea of “equal justice under law” and eroding the pillars of our democracy. And somehow, the mayor of our city is one of his goons in that effort.
At the same time, our city is facing crises as well, with housing costs so high that families can’t afford to live here, with too many people feeling unsafe and insecure in their future here. And what do they see at City Hall? An administration that is corrupt, and fails every day to solve their problems.
We desperately need a mayor who will fight for New Yorkers, instead of selling us out to Donald Trump like our current mayor has.
And we need a mayor who will govern this city more effectively — who can make it safer, more affordable, and better-run — so we can live up to those New York values.
That’s what I was trying to do on Tuesday. That’s what I’ve been doing my entire career.
Starting right here in this neighborhood, I was inspired by neighbors working to renovate abandoned buildings, and that launched me into work that has built or saved over 50,000 affordable homes, many around the Gowanus Canal nearby. As mayor, I’ll build 500,000 more.
And I’ve saved taxpayers over $2 billion, canceled Mayor Eric Adams’s corrupt contracts and managed the pension funds to record highs. When Trump and Musk stole $80 million from our city, I uncovered it and led the fight to get it back.
The last thing we need is a disgraced politician who had to resign in disgrace after sexually harassing 11 women. Who lied to New Yorkers about his order that sent thousands of nursing home victims to their deaths.
That’s why I was proud to cross-endorse Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani. Together, we will send Andrew Cuomo back to the suburbs.
Key takeaways: Mr. Lander was a distant third in a recent Marist poll, but the survey was taken before three crucial events that might spark more interest in his candidacy: Mr. Lander’s arrest by federal agents; his cross-endorsement with Mr. Mamdani; and the final debate, where he aggressively attacked Mr. Cuomo and his record.
His position as the standard-bearer for the left was usurped by Mr. Mamdani’s unexpected popularity. While Mr. Lander has avoided attacking Mr. Mamdani, he has still tried to highlight his experience and accomplishments as comptroller and as a City Council member.
Contrasting himself to Mr. Cuomo and Mr. Adams has been a consistent theme. Both men, Mr. Lander said, have disqualifying ethical lapses in their pasts.
Adrienne Adams
Ms. Adams, 64, the City Council speaker, has run on her experience in government. She has criticized Mayor Adams (the two are not related) for his budget cuts to libraries and preschool. She often highlights her cultural connections to southeast Queens, especially in church settings, where she has been known to sing with the choir.
The setting: The Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn on the second day of early voting.
The goal: Ms. Adams spoke to one of Brooklyn’s largest and most politically influential Black congregations as she hoped to boost her name recognition and siphon off Black support from Mr. Cuomo.
The speech:
Thank you so much for gracing me with a few minutes just to let you know that I am the first Black speaker of the New York City Council, leading the first woman-majority and the most diverse City Council in the history of the City of New York. And now I reintroduce myself to you as Adrienne Adams, the woman running to be the mayor of the City of New York.
And I come to you, C.C.C. family, with no scandal, no corruption, no drama, no nonsense. Just competence and integrity as a woman of faith.
And so I just wanted to let you hear it from me, as others will come and tell you about what they want to do: I am going to let you know that I’m already doing the work. I have been walking up the steps of City Hall for almost 10 years as the first woman to ever represent District 28 in Queens. So where others want to aspire to give you policy — they want to aspire to where I already am in City Hall.
I have been elected to lead my woman-majority City Council as the speaker of City Hall, and I have legislated hundreds of bills. I am now working on my third city budget alongside the mayor of the City of New York, and that budget now is the fourth one that will be negotiated and will be passed by the 30th of this month, $115 billion. The only candidate in this race that does not need a manual, or a handbook or a transcript because I’m already doing the work.
The only candidate in this race that has already been there and done that. I created CUNY Reconnect and have re-enrolled almost 50,000 students back into the CUNY system to get their degrees. The only candidate that has already put forth a pilot program to stop homelessness and end child poverty right now for 161 women; 63 percent of them have already moved out of homeless shelters and into permanent housing.
So when others will come and tell you that they have done the policy, they want to do policy — I’m already doing the work.
They will tell you that they want to fight Donald Trump. Oh, well, I tell you, I’m endorsed by the baddest attorney general. Her name is Tish James. And she’s said to me, “Adrienne, if Donald Trump gets in your way, sue him,” and I sued him, and I won the case two days ago to stop ICE from coming onto Rikers Island.
And so, C.C.C. family, I ask you to rank me No. 1 to be your mayor, because I’m already doing the work. Let’s just move me from one side of City Hall to the other side of City Hall. Let’s get this work done the right way for the people of the City of New York.
Key takeaways: As council speaker, Ms. Adams has perhaps the best view of how city government functions. Her biggest challenge has been drawing attention to her record for voters who might not have known her before she ran for mayor, and to do so quickly because of her late entry to the race.
She mentioned Letitia James, the state attorney general who is popular among Democrats and who encouraged Ms. Adams to run as an alternative to Mr. Cuomo.
Black churches are among the best places to connect with primary voters, and Ms. Adams spoke effectively to this must-win voting bloc. At the end of her speech, she broke into song, belting out a deeply felt rendition of “To God Be the Glory,” a classic Black church hymn. By the end of her song, most of the congregation of hundreds was on its feet.
Nicholas Fandos is a Times reporter covering New York politics and government.
Emma G. Fitzsimmons is the City Hall bureau chief for The Times, covering Mayor Eric Adams and his administration.
Jeffery C. Mays is a Times reporter covering politics with a focus on New York City Hall.
Maya King is a Times reporter covering New York politics.
The post The Closing Arguments of the N.Y.C. Mayoral Candidates appeared first on New York Times.
