The final NYC mayoral debate kicked off with explosive opening statements as Curtis Sliwa, Andrew Cuomo, and Zohran Mamdani went head-to-head. Sliwa declared, 'It’s us versus them,' claiming he is the true voice of New Yorkers. Cuomo, the former governor, urged the Knicks to win before pivoting to attack Mamdani, calling him a rehash of Bill de Blasio with 'no new ideas.' Mamdani fired back, emphasizing his plans for New York’s future and accusing his opponents of running on fear.
The debate set the stage for a high-stakes showdown in one of the city’s most closely watched mayoral races.
00:00This will be the last time all three candidates will be together on stage.
00:04The next mayor will be sworn into office 71 days from now on January 1st, 2026.
00:10He will inherit a city with an affordability crisis, a tense relationship with the federal government,
00:15and millions of New Yorkers who very likely did not support him.
00:19Let's begin our debate with your opening statements to viewers.
00:22You have 45 seconds.
00:24The order was determined by a random drawing on live television this morning.
00:27And we'll begin with Curtis Sliwa.
00:30Good evening.
00:31It's us versus them.
00:34It's us versus the insiders and the billionaires.
00:38It's us versus Cuomo.
00:40It's us versus Zorhan.
00:42This is a campaign not about power.
00:45This is a campaign about you, the people.
00:48And I know many of you hardworking New Yorkers, you tell me you've been pushed aside, you've been silenced.
00:54These are the people that have all the money, all the connections.
00:57They've made their backroom deals.
00:59But we have something more important.
01:02We have you, the people.
01:04And we're not going to be silenced anymore.
01:06We're going to fight.
01:07Tonight, I want you to look at the content of my policies, to know that I've served this city for more than 50 years, the city that I love.
01:15And I'm going to share with you my vision to make New York City safer again, to make New York City more affordable again, and where everybody once again can live the American dream.
01:30Next is Andrew Cuomo.
01:31Good evening.
01:33Good evening.
01:34New York, first, thank you to the moderators.
01:37Thank you all for being here.
01:38And go, Knicks, go, Knicks, go, Knicks.
01:40I hope we get an update on the score.
01:42New York is the greatest city on the globe.
01:45But we are at a pivotal moment.
01:48And the voters are going to have to decide in this election what candidate has the plan to save this city and what candidate can get it done, not just talk about it.
02:00My main opponent has no new ideas.
02:03He has no new planets.
02:04Build a Blasio rehash, and we know how that turned out.
02:07He's never run anything, managed anything.
02:09He's never had a real job.
02:10I will hire 5,000 new police, build 500,000 new units.
02:14I will cut taxes.
02:16I will grow jobs.
02:18And I will end this hate-mongering and division that is tearing this city apart because that's not who we are as New Yorkers.
02:30You know I can make change.
02:32You know I can make government work.
02:34I've done it before.
02:35I'll be ready on day one.
02:36Okay.
02:37Next is our mom.
02:38Donnie.
02:39Good evening.
02:39Good evening.
02:40Thank you to the moderators.
02:41And thank you to New Yorkers for tuning in.
02:43And I know you'd rather be watching the Knicks.
02:46While there are three candidates on this stage, you will hear only two messages.
02:50My opponents, who spend more time trying to convince the other to drop out than actually proposing their own policies, will speak only of the past.
02:58Because that's all that they know.
03:00I am the sole candidate running with a vision for the future of this city.
03:04Andrew Cuomo will spend much of tonight attacking me.
03:07He is a desperate man, lashing out because he knows that the one thing he's always cared about, power, is now slipping away from him.
03:15He will amplify right-wing talking points.
03:17He will share conspiracy theories.
03:18And he will do these things to make you feel that this should keep you up at night.
03:22But I've been spending the last year listening to New Yorkers.
03:25And I know what actually keeps you up.
03:27It's whether or not you can afford to live a safe and dignified life in this city.
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