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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who won the first NYC Democratic mayoral primary debate?
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo won Wednesday night's Democratic mayoral primary debate — because his opponents' relentless attacks did more to elevate him than drag him down, a Post panel of veteran campaign strategists said. The thrice-elected Democrat took some gut punches, but there was no knockout blow or major blunder on his part, the political analysts on both sides of the aisle said. 'I tuned in to see a mayoral debate, not a debate about Andrew Cuomo,' quipped campaign strategist Ken Frydman of the nine-person debate moderated by NBC 4 NY and Politico. 'By making Andrew the debate, they elevated him,' said Frydman. Because Cuomo was constantly under fire, he got more airtime to respond to each jab and by default dominated the more than two-hour debate, the political experts said. 'Everyone tried to land a punch on Andrew Cuomo, but failed,' said campaign strategist O' Brien 'OB' Murray. 'The first 20 minutes gave Cuomo the center stage, literally and figuratively,' he said, referring to the ex-gov's position in the middle of the group of candidates standing on the dais at 30 Rockefeller Center. 'He handled the attacks and was able to deflect. They actually gave him more airtime than they should have,' Murray said. Republican campaign strategist Bill O'Reilly said the verbal pummeling Cuomo received from most of his eight primary rivals does not alter his status as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination. 'It was Andrew Cuomo vs. the Lilliputians, and the Lilliputians fell short. That's the bottom line,' O'Reilly said. 'Someone needed to trip up the former governor to slow his momentum, but it was clear from the jump that wouldn't happen. Cuomo hasn't lost a step since leaving Albany, and the field lacked the skill to crack him.' Cuomo also counter-attacked, taking shots at his biggest threats in the polls — 33-year-old Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, a state Assembly member from Queens, and City Comptroller Brad Lander. The former governor delivered the best line when he said, '[President] Trump would go through Mamdani like a hot knife through butter,' O'Reilly noted. Frydman said the candidates and moderators did force Cuomo to squirm to defend his record as governor, including his controversial nursing home policy during the COVID-19 pandemic and his approval of the unpopular 2019 bail reforms. They also tried to make him answer for the spate of sexual misconduct accusations leveled against him — which he denied, but which forced his resignation in 2021. Some of the other candidates had 'breakout moments' — including former Bronx Assemblyman Michael Blake, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Mamdani, said political adviser Yvette Buckner. 'That will have voters wanting to learn more about them, their policies and their candidacy,' she said. Frydman too said Adams' performance 'moved the needle' for her campaign, which has been slow to gain momentum despite support from state Attorney General Letitia James. 'She introduced herself to Democratic voters well enough on substance to move up in ranked-choice voting,' he said. But Cuomo's comfortable lead over second-place Mamdani in recent polls should hold, Frydman said. O'Reilly agreed, but said Mamdani remains Cuomo's 'greatest threat' for the nomination in the June 24 primary. Two of the panelists agreed that Lander is competent, but his persona didn't translate on TV. 'He oozes insincerity in a car-salesman-type way,' O'Reilly said. But he said Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie's sincerity came across 'easily,' calling him a rising star in the Democratic Party. Murray concurred, saying Lander has a 'stage presence for radio and a delivery for print. He confirmed why he has his wife and daughter on videos, instead of himself.' Another candidate, former city Comptroller Scott Stringer, who previously ran for mayor in 2021, didn't break through, the panelists said. 'Stringer was Stringer — flat, and after a second run for mayor, still didn't connect to voters,' Murray said. All but two of the Democratic contenders will debate again on June 12, save for Blake and state Sen. Jessica Ramos, who failed to meet the campaign funding threshold. Nine days of early voting will precede the primary, beginning on June 14.
New York Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Who won the first NYC Democratic mayoral primary debate?
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo won Wednesday night's Democratic mayoral primary debate — because his opponents' relentless attacks did more to elevate him than drag him down, a Post panel of veteran campaign strategists said. The thrice-elected Democrat took some gut punches, but there was no knockout blow or major blunder on his part, the political analysts on both sides of the aisle said. 'I tuned in to see a mayoral debate, not a debate about Andrew Cuomo,' quipped campaign strategist Ken Frydman of the nine-person debate moderated by NBC 4 NY and Politico. Advertisement 8 Democratic mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo shakes hands with fellow candidate Zohran Mamdani behind Whitney Tilson at the beginning of the NYC Democratic mayoral primary debate on June 4, 2025. via REUTERS 'By making Andrew the debate, they elevated him,' said Frydman. Because Cuomo was constantly under fire, he got more air time to respond to each jab and by default dominated the more than two hour debate, the political experts said. Advertisement 'Everyone tried to land a punch on Andrew Cuomo, but failed,' said campaign strategist O' Brien 'OB' Murray. 'The first 20 minutes gave Cuomo the center stage, literally and figuratively,' he said, referring to the ex-gov's position in the middle of the group of candidates standing on the dais at 30 Rockefeller Center. 'He handled the attacks and was able to deflect. They actually gave him more airtime than they should have,' Murray said. 8 Former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during his spot at the democratic debate. via REUTERS Advertisement Republican campaign strategist Bill O'Reilly said the verbal pummeling Cuomo received from most of his eight primary rivals does not alter his status as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. 'It was Andrew Cuomo vs. the Lilliputians, and the Lilliputians fell short. That's the bottom line,' O'Reilly said. 'Someone needed to trip up the former governor to slow his momentum, but it was clear from the jump that wouldn't happen. Cuomo hasn't lost a step since leaving Albany, and the field lacked the skill to crack him.' Cuomo also counter-attacked, taking shots at his biggest threats in the polls — 33-year-old Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, a state Assembly member from Queens, and City Comptroller Brad Lander. Advertisement 8 Andrew Cuomo and Adrienne Adams hug onstage after the debate. via REUTERS 8 The nine NYC Democratic mayoral candidates Adrienne Adams, Brad Lander, Jessica Ramos, Zellnor Myrie, Andrew Cuomo, Whitney Tilson, Zohran Mamdani, Michael Blake and Scott Stringer. POOL/AFP via Getty Images The former governor delivered the best line when he said' '[President] Trump would go through Mamdani like a knife through butter,' O'Reilly noted. Frydman said the candidates and moderators did force Cuomo to squirm to defend his record as governor, including his controversial nursing home policy during the COVID-19 pandemic and his approval of the unpopular 2019 bail reforms. They also tried to make him answer for the spate of sexual misconduct accusations leveled against him — that he denied, but that forced his resignation in 2021. Some of the other candidates had 'break out moments' — including former Bronx Assemblyman Michael Blake, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Mamdani, said political advisor Yvette Buckner. 'That will have voters wanting to learn more about them, their policies and their candidacy,' she said. Advertisement Frydman, too, said Adams' performance 'moved the needle' for her campaign, which has been slow to gain momentum despite support from state Attorney General Letitia James. 'She introduced herself to Democratic voters well enough on substance to move up in ranked-choice voting,' he said. But Cuomo's comfortable lead over second place Mamdani in recent polls should hold, Frydman said. O'Reilly agreed, but said Mamdani remains Cuomo's 'greatest threat' for the nomination in the June 24 primary. Advertisement 8 Brad Lander and Michael Blake shake hands after participating in the debate. via REUTERS 8 Jessica Ramos is spotted leaving the NYC Democratic Mayoral Debate at NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in NY on June 4, 2025. Christopher Sadowski Two of the panelists agreed that Lander is competent, but his persona didn't translate on TV. 'He oozes insincerity in a car-salesman-type way,' O'Reilly said. Advertisement But he said Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie's sincerity came across 'easily,' calling him a rising star in the Democratic Party. 8 NY Gov. Kathy Hochul leaves NBC Studios after the debate. Christopher Sadowski 8 Zellnor Myrie talks to reporters after leaving the debate stage. Christopher Sadowski Murray concurred, saying Lander has a 'stage presence for radio and a delivery for print. He confirmed why he has his wife and daughter on videos, instead of himself.' Advertisement Another candidate, former City Comptroller Scott Stringer who previously ran for mayor in 2021, didn't break through, the panelists said. 'Stringer was Stringer — flat and after a second run for mayor still didn't connect to voters,' Murray said. All but two of the Democratic contenders will debate again on June 12, save for Blake and state Sen. Jessica Ramos, who failed to meet the campaign funding threshold. Nine days of early voting will precede the primary, beginning on June 14.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cuomo skips another major NYC mayoral face forum — where candidates will talk immigration
Democrats running for mayor will hash out the hot-button issue of immigration Wednesday night – but frontrunner Andrew Cuomo will be notably missing. The former governor is skipping out on another chance to answer tough questions, this time at a forum in which his opponents in the June primary were expected to address how they'd respond to the Trump administration's crack down on illegal migrants. The event at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, hosted by the New York Immigration Coalition, was set to feature socialist Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the runner-up in the polls after Cuomo. It's the latest in a string of mayoral campaign forums that the ex-gov has opted not to attend — and his past absences have sparked a chorus of criticism from his opponents. 'When you are scared to answer to the people of New York and are scared to be held accountable than you're not going to participate in the forums,' state Sen. Jessica Ramos told NBC 4 NY last month after Cuomo missed another forum in Brooklyn. He also brushed off a discussion on public safety last week, which was attended by most of the other Democratic primary candidates. Cuomo, however, did speak at the Rev. Al Sharpton's annual National Action Network Convention earlier this month. Organizers of Wednesday's immigration forum said on their website that Cuomo had been invited, along with Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent and who also opted to skip the event. Along with Mamdani, other candidates expected to attend include Ramos, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, city Comptroller Brad Lander and his predecessor Scott Stringer, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie and ex-Obama aide Michael Blake. Cuomo's chronic absences haven't hurt him in the polls — he led Mamdani 34% to 16% when voters were asked about their top choice, according to a survey released Tuesday. But Cuomo — who resigned from the governor's office in disgrace in 2021 over sexual harassment allegations he denies — faced a rash of embarrassing fumbles this week. The veteran pol lost out on almost $3 million in campaign matching funds due to a paperwork snafu and unveiled a typo-laced housing plan, which a representative admitted was put together with the help of research conducted by ChatGPT. A Cuomo campaign spokesperson insisted the ex-governor has attended 'a number of forums and will attend others in the coming weeks as he continues to engage voters on his platform to make New York City a safer and more affordable place for all.' Cuomo has also talked about immigration with media outlets and voters are aware of his past track record, the spokesperson added. A political consultant not affiliated with any campaign argued there is 'no benefit' to Cuomo showing up at forums. 'When your name is Andrew Cuomo, you're leading in every poll and you have millions upon millions to spend, the truth is you don't need to show up to the forums,' said John Tomlin, senior managing director of Actum. 'People know who he is, they know what kind of leadership he brings and they either support him or they don't. Him showing up to the forum just puts him in the line of fire and honestly elevates his opponents more than it does him.'
