Political analyst Mark Halperin called the recent New York City mayoral debate a “tragedy” because the candidates were not held to account on key issues such as economic policy and fiscal responsibility. During the forum featuring Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa, moderators failed to press Mamdani on how he’d fund his platform and whether his numbers added up.
Halperin pinpointed two major failings: First, moderators did not challenge Mamdani on how he planned to pay for his ambitious proposals. “The tragedy for me is … the moderators never really tried to pin Mamdani down on the economic policies that he’s espousing. And how he proposes to pay for things that are not currently affordable.”
Second, Halperin asserted that Mamdani appears poised to win without presenting a credible financial plan. “I think he’s going to be elected mayor … without even [coming] close to explaining how his numbers add up on the outside,” Halperin said.
On the other side, Halperin suggested that Cuomo is unlikely to alter the race’s momentum: “It’s very difficult to see how Cuomo can change the dynamic of the race.” He also offered critique of Sliwa, saying his strongest debate performance still seems unlikely to shift the outcome.
During the debate, Mamdani refused to affirm support for fellow Democrat Kathy Hochul–who endorsed him–when asked to raise his hand if he would back her reelection. He also did not deny voting for neither candidate in the 2024 contest, choosing instead to say he left his ballot blank in protest of what he characterized as “the Israeli genocide of Palestinians.”
