NYC mayor debate sees Andrew Cuomo discipline assaults from Dem rivals – NBC New York
New York Metropolis mayoral race front-runner Andrew Cuomo was pressured to fend off a volley of assaults from his Democratic main rivals in a debate Wednesday, together with his opponents unleashing pent up barbs on the former governor in an try to chip away at his lead.
Cuomo was on the defensive from the opening bell.
From a crowded stage, Cuomo’s opponents swiped at him over the sexual harassment scandal that pressured him from the governor’s mansion, his coronavirus response and the federal investigation into whether or not he lied to Congress about his dealing with of the pandemic in nursing properties.
At one level, Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist state lawmaker who has emerged as one of many main candidates within the race, pressed Cuomo on the overlap between the previous governor’s political donors and people who donated to Republican President Donald Trump.
“The distinction between myself and Andrew Cuomo is that my marketing campaign just isn’t funded by the very billionaires who put Donald Trump in D.C.,” Mamdani mentioned, calling himself “Donald Trump’s worst nightmare.”
Weathering the onslaught, Cuomo began flicking out his personal jabs.
“Mr. Mamdani is superb on Twitter, with movies, however he truly produces nothing,” Cuomo mentioned. “Donald Trump would undergo Mr. Mamdani like a scorching knife by butter. He is been in authorities 27 minutes, he is handed three payments. That is all he is completed.”
The pile-on got here after Cuomo, who has led each ballot since coming into the race, has largely averted his opponents in public, giving them nearly no alternatives to satisfy him face-to-face.
That every one modified Wednesday evening.
The previous governor and present state meeting member have been requested questions on resisting the Trump administration if elected mayor of New York Metropolis.
The previous governor’s opponents had him of their sights all through the talk, working in criticisms of Cuomo of their responses to questions or interjecting at factors to get in one other fast dig on the former governor of New York. The cross discuss was heavy on a stage that hosted 9 complete candidates.
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who pulled out of the first to as an alternative run for a second time period on an unbiased poll line, didn’t take part within the debate.
Cuomo had been thought of one of many Democratic Social gathering’s rising stars earlier than his dramatic downfall in 2021 following a sexual harassment scandal.
The previous governor has mentioned he didn’t deliberately mistreat the ladies and had fallen out of step with what was thought of acceptable office conduct, although his legal professionals and consultants have labored to discredit his accusers. Cuomo repeated an identical chorus on Wednesday throughout the debate.
Throughout his comeback run for mayor, Cuomo has confronted renewed questions on his selections throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and is below investigation by the Justice Division over whether or not he lied to Congress about how he dealt with the virus because it unfold by nursing properties.
Through the debate, moderators tried to pin Cuomo down on the truthfulness of his congressional testimony a couple of state report on nursing house deaths throughout the pandemic, however he sidestepped the query.
“I used to be very conscious of the report,” he mentioned, drawing amusing from one of many different candidates.
The previous governor confronted questions in regards to the report on undercounting nursing house deaths throughout the top of the COVID-19 in New York.
