The Sprint for City HallWe’re three weeks out from the critical Nov. 4 election for New York City mayor.
Hi, I’m Katie Glueck. Welcome back to The Sprint for City Hall. We’re three weeks out from the New York City mayoral election and two days away from the first mayoral debate of the fall campaign. In this edition we’ll look at the state of the race headed into the debate, check in with a “very concerned New Yorker” from Long Island and share a snapshot from the campaign trail. We’ll start with the news.
CHARTING THE RACE Why Cuomo needs this debate to matterIn June 2024, Joe Biden, then the president, took to the debate stage with Trump and delivered such a disastrous performance that Democrats could no longer overlook questions about his age and fitness, and ultimately pushed him out of the race. But short of a Biden-scale blunder from one of the candidates in the mayoral debate on Thursday, it is hard to see the matchup meaningfully resetting the campaign. I’ve covered plenty of debates that are seen in the moment as potential game changers. But that rarely ends up being the case at this late stage, especially in such a lopsided race. Cuomo, the former governor, needs Thursday’s event to be the exception. Headed into the debate, he trailed Mamdani, a state assemblyman, by double digits despite benefiting from Eric Adams’s exit from the contest late last month. This is one of Cuomo’s last big opportunities to convince the moderate and conservative New Yorkers who dislike Mamdani — but aren’t fond of Cuomo either — to coalesce around his campaign, rather than back Sliwa or sit out of the election altogether. The debate begins at 7 p.m. Thursday on WNBC, and whatever its consequences, I’m guessing there will be some fireworks worth watching. QUOTE OF THE DAY
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What we’re watching
Headed into the debate, Mamdani, the front-runner, has the most to lose. Nicholas Fandos, who is helping to lead our coverage of the race, takes a close look at what Mamdani needs to do on Thursday. (In short: Don’t screw it up.)
Since his surprise victory in the Democratic primary this summer, Mamdani has rapidly evolved as a politician and candidate. He’s won over most (though not all) of the Democratic establishment, sanded the edges off some of his most hard-line positions and tried to quiet concerns about his historically young age.
My biggest question this week is whether Mamdani can put it all together under the pressure of the general election spotlight.
He navigated plenty of attacks during the primary debates and is generally a smooth communicator. But now, as the front-runner, he will face a different level of scrutiny. Can the 33-year-old, whom most New Yorkers had never head of this time last year, walk out under the klieg lights with his opponents lying in wait and persuade notoriously skeptical New Yorkers that he is ready for one of the hardest jobs in American politics?
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| Mamdani held a rally on Monday at the United Palace in Upper Manhattan, where he pitched his populist plans in a predominantly Dominican American neighborhood. Vincent Alban/The New York Times |
Mamdani makes his closing argument
Emma G. Fitzsimmons, who leads coverage of City Hall for The New York Times, covered a Mamdani rally in Upper Manhattan on Monday night that drew more than 3,000 people, according to his campaign. Here are a few of her impressions:
Mamdani made a closing argument for his campaign, pledging to make the city more affordable and to stand up to Trump — a vow bolstered by the appearance of Letitia James, the New York attorney general.
Mamdani’s critics have argued that his campaign is fueled by white, wealthy and progressive voters. But the crowd at this rally was diverse, from the speakers onstage to the attendees. I spoke with a man from Nepal who said he was voting for the first time, galvanized by Mamdani’s pledge to freeze the rent in some cases.
QUIZ
Last week, Mamdani proposed a new “czar” for New York City focused on what?
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Scroll to the bottom to see the answer.
KEY DATES TO REMEMBER
Thursday: First general election debate (7 p.m., WNBC).
Oct. 22: Leading contenders general election debate (7 p.m., NY1).
Oct. 25: The last day to register to vote in person or online. Applications to register by mail must be received by this date.
Oct. 25 to Nov. 2: Early voting.
Nov. 4: Election Day. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The answer to the quiz is “World Cup czar.” Mamdani, a soccer fan himself, said he would install a “World Cup czar” if elected mayor to make sure that the city benefits from hosting the event with New Jersey next summer.
We want to hear from you
As we get closer to Election Day, we want to capture as many voter perspectives as possible.
Did you support Cuomo, Mamdani or Sliwa in the spring but plan to vote differently in the general election? We’d love to talk with you for a potential story.
Similarly, while there are plenty of voters who are excited about their choices for mayor, other New Yorkers are less enthused about the options. If you fall into the latter category, we’d like to hear about how you’re thinking through your decision.
I’m at katie.glueck@nytimes.com — please be in touch!
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