Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliwa to debate NYC mayoral race

New York City’s three leading mayoral contenders square off Thursday evening in the first general election debate as the race heads into its final weeks. Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, former governor Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa will convene at NBC’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza studio at 7 p.m. for a one‑hour event that organizers say will be broadcast on local television and streamed online. The debate arrives just over a week before early voting begins and fewer than three weeks before Election Day on November 4.

Polling shows Mamdani with a sustained lead, but the contest has tightened enough that the debate is widely viewed as a chance for Cuomo and Sliwa to narrow the gap. A recent Quinnipiac University survey put Mamdani at roughly 46 percent support, Cuomo at 33, and Sliwa at 15, figures that underscore how critical persuading moderate and conservative voters could be for the ex‑governor’s comeback hopes. Mamdani, a 33‑year‑old state assemblyman who describes himself as a democratic socialist, has made housing affordability the centerpiece of his campaign. Cuomo has emphasized safety and moderation, and Sliwa has focused his pitch on...