Live Updates: Democrats Running for N.Y.C. Mayor Are Set to Debate

New York Times

a day ago

Nine Democrats will take the stage Wednesday night for the first debate of the primary.
A mayoral indictment. A Cuomo comeback attempt. And the rise of a socialist upstart. The race for mayor of New York City has already been anything but tranquil.
On Wednesday night, it will enter an even more combative phase, as nine of the candidates competing for the Democratic nomination meet for the first of two televised debates before the June 24 primary.
The stakes are high for candidates hoping to shake up the race and for the city they want to lead as it confronts a growing affordability crisis, persistent concerns about crime and threats from President Trump.
The attention will be on Andrew M. Cuomo, the former governor who has dominated polls since he entered the race in March. Mr. Cuomo has run a low-show campaign, cruising on millions of dollars from wealthy donors, his family name and his successes as governor rebuilding LaGuardia Airport and raising the minimum wage.
But four years after he resigned as governor amid sexual harassment allegations he denies, Mr. Cuomo, 67, is trying to reintroduce himself to voters on favorable terms, and his rivals have prepared to team up to re-litigate his decades-long record.
Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old from Queens, has been the race's unexpected standout, surging into second place in the polls with viral social media videos and an ambitious platform to freeze rents and make buses free. He is hoping to expand his appeal to more moderate voters, but his outspoken socialist views, sharp criticism of Israel and relative inexperience could be an impediment.
Brad Lander, the city comptroller, Adrienne Adams, the City Council speaker, and Scott Stringer, the former comptroller, are all more conventional liberals who argue they have the potential to put together a broader coalition.
Despite much more experience in city government, they have struggled to generate the kind of enthusiasm Mr. Mamdani has, and have hesitated to attack him. The debate may offer an indication of whether this group's loose alliance against Mr. Cuomo will hold in the final weeks.
A few lesser-known candidates — State Senators Zellnor Myrie and Jessica Ramos, former Assemblyman Michael Blake and the financier Whitney Tilson — are still introducing themselves to voters and would need a breakout moment to shake up the race.
Mayor Eric Adams is running for a second term, but as an independent, so he will not be on the debate stage.