Everything to know about NYC Democratic primary mayor debate — and why Eric Adams won't be participating
The race to City Hall is heating up.
Nine Democratic candidates for mayor will take the stage Wednesday night to face off on how to fix the Big Apple's biggest issues.
The event, put on by the city's Campaign Finance Board (CFB), will give New Yorkers a thorough look at the candidates in the June 24 primary, their policies and their records.
10 Jessica Ramos attends the Pride Kick Off Mayoral Forum in New York City on May 31, 2025.
Leonardo Munoz
It will be frontrunner Andrew Cuomo's first time sharing the stage with the slew of other hopefuls vying for the party nod.
When and where is the debate taking place?
The first Democratic mayoral primary debate is taking place Wednesday, June 4 at 7 p.m. at NBC's iconic 30 Rockefeller Center studios.
The event, which will be hosted by NBC 4 New York/WNBC, Telemundo 47/WNJU and POLITICO New York, will be filmed and aired live.
10 Candidate Adrienne Adams attends the Pride Kick Off Mayoral Forum in New York City on May 31, 2025.
Leonardo Munoz
10 Candidate Michael Blake attends the Pride Kick Off Mayoral Forum in New York City on May 31, 2025.
Leonardo Munoz
10 Candidate Brad Lander speaks at a Mayoral Forum hosted by Queers for Action on May 31, 2025 in New York City.
Andrew Schwartz / SplashNews.com
'The debates at 30 Rock will be informative, engaging, and help voters make their preferred choices at the ballot box. Our team understands the critical issues facing the city, and we're listening to what New Yorkers want to hear from the candidates,' said Amy Morris, senior vice president of news for NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47.
How to watch the debate:
The debate will be airing live on WNBC — and there are a couple of ways to watch for free.
Viewers can claim a free trial on DIRECTV or Sling TV to access WNBC live if they don't already pay for cable.
10 Former Governor Andrew Cuomo (pictured) is the current frontrunner ahead of Wednesday's debate.
Stephen Yang
Who is participating?
A packed field of nine candidates will be participating in the debate. Here's a brief overview of the mayoral hopefuls, in order of how they'll be standing on stage, left to right:
Adrienne Adams : Speaker of the City Council since 2022 and a member since 2017. She hails from and represents South Jamaica, Queens. She is a progressive Democrat.
: Speaker of the City Council since 2022 and a member since 2017. She hails from and represents South Jamaica, Queens. She is a progressive Democrat. Brad Lander: The City Comptroller since 2022 and a career pol, Lander is a Brooklynite by way of St. Louis, Missouri. He is a progressive Democrat.
The City Comptroller since 2022 and a career pol, Lander is a Brooklynite by way of St. Louis, Missouri. He is a progressive Democrat. Jessica Ramos: Born and raised in Elmhurst, Queens, Ramos is a state senator representing Queens' 13th District since 2019. She is a pro-labor progressive Democrat.
Born and raised in Elmhurst, Queens, Ramos is a state senator representing Queens' 13th District since 2019. She is a pro-labor progressive Democrat. Zellnor Myrie: A Brooklyn state senator since 2019, representing its 20th District in Crown Heights, Myrie is a native of the borough and a progressive, pro-real-estate Democrat.
A Brooklyn state senator since 2019, representing its 20th District in Crown Heights, Myrie is a native of the borough and a progressive, pro-real-estate Democrat. Andrew Cuomo : The former governor of New York, hailing from Queens, is making a comeback bid for mayor. Facing a slew of scandals, he resigned in 2021 after serving for 10 years. He is a conservative Democrat.
: The former governor of New York, hailing from Queens, is making a comeback bid for mayor. Facing a slew of scandals, he resigned in 2021 after serving for 10 years. He is a conservative Democrat. Whitney Tilson: A former hedge fund manager originally from Connecticut, the Harvard-educated Tilson is a conservative Democrat.
A former hedge fund manager originally from Connecticut, the Harvard-educated Tilson is a conservative Democrat. Zohran Mamdani: A Queens state Assembly member representing Astoria and Ditmars-Steinway since 2021, Mamdani is a Democratic socialist originally from Uganda, who was raised on the Upper West Side.
A Queens state Assembly member representing Astoria and Ditmars-Steinway since 2021, Mamdani is a Democratic socialist originally from Uganda, who was raised on the Upper West Side. Michael Blake : A reverend from the South Bronx, Blake served as a state Assemblyman from 2015 to 2021 in The Bronx's 79th District. He is a progressive Democrat.
: A reverend from the South Bronx, Blake served as a state Assemblyman from 2015 to 2021 in The Bronx's 79th District. He is a progressive Democrat. Scott Stringer: The city comptroller from 2014-2022, the longtime pol was born and raised in Harlem. Though Stringer ran a progressive ticket in the 2021 mayoral race, he is a tad more center this go-around.
Read more about the candidates here:
10 Mayor Eric Adams (pictured), will not be attending the debate as he has forfeited the Democratic race to run as an Independent.
REUTERS
Why isn't Mayor Eric Adams participating?
The 110th mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, will not be on the debate stage.
Though he ran as a Democrat in 2021, he withdrew from the Democratic primary this April — opting instead to seek re-election as an independent candidate.
Will there be another debate?
Yes! Leading Democratic candidates will have a second, smaller, but just as fiery debate next Thursday, June 12.
Ramos and Blake didn't meet the CFB's fundraising requirements to make it to the second round — so Wednesday will be voters' only chance to see them square up against their opponents.
10 Candidate Zellnor Myrie pictured in an interview.
Robert Miller
Will there be live mics?
WNBC has not yet confirmed if mics will be turned off after candidates' allotted time — like they were in 2024's presidential debate.
10 Candidate Whitney Tilson (left) at The Roosevelt House at Hunter College for a NYC mayoral candidate debate.
James Messerschmidt
10 Candidate Scott Stringer speaking at a United Federation of Teachers meeting.
Robert Miller
Will there be an audience?
There won't be a studio audience at this round of debates — with only select guest credentials being provided to campaign staff.
10 Candidate Zohran Mamdani (pictured) is polling in second place behind the former governor.
Leonardo Munoz
What to look out for:
MAMDANI vs. CUOMO : Mamdani has been slashing Cuomo's lead in recent polls — though the two candidates are on opposite ends of the Democratic spectrum. Wednesday's debate is likely to see both the conservative-leaning former governor and the socialist Queens Assemblyman go toe to toe on various issues and refute each other's policy proposals.
: Mamdani has been slashing Cuomo's lead in recent polls — though the two candidates are on opposite ends of the Democratic spectrum. Wednesday's debate is likely to see both the conservative-leaning former governor and the socialist Queens Assemblyman go toe to toe on various issues and refute each other's policy proposals. CUOMO GANG-UP : Expect to see a barrage of blows fired at the former governor by all candidates on stage, particularly about his resignation and his handling of the COVID-19 nursing home crisis.
: Expect to see a barrage of blows fired at the former governor by all candidates on stage, particularly about his resignation and his handling of the COVID-19 nursing home crisis. ANTI-SEMITISM : With rising antisemitsm in the Big Apple and the conflict in the Gaza Strip, expect this topic to bring up heated points of view from candidates. Keep an eye out specifically for a sparring match between Cuomo, who is staunchly pro-Israel, and Mamdani, who has a history of Palestinian activism and controversial views on the Jewish state.
: With rising antisemitsm in the Big Apple and the conflict in the Gaza Strip, expect this topic to bring up heated points of view from candidates. Keep an eye out specifically for a sparring match between Cuomo, who is staunchly pro-Israel, and Mamdani, who has a history of Palestinian activism and controversial views on the Jewish state. SAFETY and AFFORDABILITY: Two hot-button issues on the ballot right now are safety and affordability — particularly when it comes to housing. Expect to hear a lot of talk about police, subway safety and housing solutions.
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