The final New York City mayoral debate was Zohran Mamdani’s to lose. The Democratic nominee had a great first debate, is polling ahead of independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and is widely considered to be the future mayor of New York City.
Yet Mamdani, a state legislator, failed to answer some important questions in the Oct. 22 debate on ballot measures and public schooling, underscoring concerns about his experience level. It wasn’t that he performed poorly; he just wasn’t as strong as I had hoped he’d be. Despite this, I still believe he’s the best candidate in the race.
No, Mamdani is not as experienced as Cuomo. But we cannot ignore that the former governor’s “experience” as a politician includes him leaving office after being accused of sexual harassment by 13 women and potentially undercounting nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mamdani also has more political experience than Sliwa, who has never held public office and was basically just onstage to deliver a good joke every now and then.
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Zohran Mamdani wants to follow the law
From left at the New York mayoral debate on Oct. 22, 2025, are former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo running as an independent, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
I’d go so far as to say Mamdani isn’t going to change the city as much as fearmongering centrist Democrats and Republicans say he will. In fact, Cuomo compared Mamdani to former Mayor Bill de Blasio, asserting that the state assemblyman has no new ideas – and that the ideas he does have are too bold.
Despite this mixed messaging, it’s clear that Mamdani is not the radical everyone wants to paint him as. For example, The New York Times recently reported that Mamdani would allow Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to continue serving in her role if he were to be elected, something he confirmed on the debate stage.
Mamdani is also the only candidate who said he would follow the law and close Rikers Island prison. He supports the state’s Raise the Age law, which changed the age that a child can be prosecuted as an adult to 18 in criminal cases, and wants to strengthen the city’s law on carbon emissions.
Overall, I’m confused at how Mamdani’s opponents can say both of these things at the same time. He’s either got no new ideas or too many new ideas – but it can’t be both.
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Mamdani is charming, but green
The essence of the debate was captured about 30 minutes in, when Cuomo and Sliwa both turned to Mamdani and united in heckling the Democratic nominee over ballot measures regarding housing. Throughout the jeers, Mamdani kept a smile on his face – even as he said he didn’t have a firm position on the measures.
Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani arrives for the second New York City mayoral debate in Long Island City, Queens, on Oct. 22, 2025.
Considering how close we are to Election Day, Mamdani’s decision not to weigh in either way on the ballot measures (which are opposed by the City Council but supported by current Mayor Eric Adams) was just one instance where the candidate looked like a newcomer to the political scene.
The other instance was when asked about his plan for New York City public schools. He does not have a full platform for how he wants to run the Department of Education, and says he is “opposed to mayoral control” of the school system.
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I’m concerned about Mamdani’s lack of an answer to the ballot initiative question, but I’m more concerned about what would happen if Cuomo were elected mayor of New York City. The former goveror is a decidedly corrupt character; he’s also the candidate who spent the least amount of time talking about making New York affordable for the working class. Even if he had a better debate night than anticipated, it does not change these facts.
If anything, this debate made me less starry-eyed about the prospect of Mamdani’s big plans and helped me stay grounded. It does seem unlikely that he will accomplish all his campaign promises as mayor, but the fact that he has even dared to be so bold is a hopeful sign for this progressive.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter: @sara__pequeno
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mamdani’s NYC mayoral debate brought us back down to earth | Opinion
