AILSA CHANG, HOST:
OK. This weekend, early voting begins in the Democratic mayoral primary for New York City, and the field is crowded. We've got 11 candidates hoping to replace the incumbent mayor, Eric Adams. It has been a fierce, contentious election season, and WNYC's Brigid Bergin has been following all of it. Hi, Brigid.
BRIGID BERGIN, BYLINE: Hey, Ailsa.
CHANG: All right, so last night, seven - right? - of these 11 candidates met in a final debate. And perhaps the most well-known among them is, of course, Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York, who resigned from office in 2021. Can you just start by telling us, how is Cuomo's campaign playing out so far?
BERGIN: Well, just to remind people, Governor Cuomo was facing multiple sexual harassment allegations. He denied wrongdoing but apologized to anyone he may have offended. Three years after that, the Justice Department reached a settlement with New York State, agreeing on a number of reforms after finding that Cuomo had subjected at least 13 female staffers to a sexually hostile work environment.
Despite that, throughout this campaign, Cuomo has said it's his experience that makes him the right person to lead the city at this time. Cuomo served as the HUD secretary under President Bill Clinton, was the state attorney general and then governor of New York. He says he's the Democrat that can stand up to President Trump and manage a crisis.
CHANG: OK, so if Cuomo is leading the pack right now, who's mounting the most serious challenge against him?
BERGIN: So his chief rival is Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state legislator and Democratic socialist who would be the first Muslim and South Asian elected New York City mayor. In a debate just last night, Cuomo said Mamdani didn't have the experience to lead the city, and he said electing him would actually be dangerous.
CHANG: Wait, so what kind of experience does Mamdani have? Like, how did he respond to Cuomo on that point?
BERGIN: So Mamdani was elected to the State Assembly in 2021, representing a district in Queens. He says people can look at how he's built his really come-from-behind campaign for mayor with thousands of volunteers. He's been pitching popular ideas like fast, free buses and freezing the rents for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments. His campaign does have momentum, but he's also faced criticism over his views on Israel and previous support for reducing police funding. During the debate, the matter of experience really became a heated moment when Mamdani blasted Cuomo for the controversies he's faced as governor.
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ZOHRAN MAMDANI: To Mr. Cuomo, I have never had to resign in disgrace. I have never cut Medicaid.
(CHEERING)
MAMDANI: I have never stolen hundreds of millions of dollars from the MTA. I have never hounded the 13 women who credibly accused me of sexual harassment. I have never sued for their gynecological records. And I have never done those things because I am not you.
CHANG: Dang. OK, what was Cuomo's response to that?
BERGIN: So he doubled down on Mamdani's inexperience.
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ANDREW CUOMO: He's accomplished nothing. Three bills are all he passed. He has the worst attendance record in the New York State Assembly. He has never held a real job. He has zero accomplishments.
MAMDANI: I want to be very clear...
CUOMO: And now he thinks he's going to be ready to be mayor of the city of New York.
CHANG: OK. Well, Brigid, I can't help but wonder, as we are talking about these two candidates dominating the primary, where is Mayor Eric Adams? Where is he in all of this?
BERGIN: Yeah. So he is running for reelection, just not as a Democrat. Earlier this year, he was facing federal corruption and bribery charges, but a federal judge dismissed the case, granting a controversial request from President Trump's Justice Department. Adams has said the case was getting in the way of his campaign, so the date after it was dropped, he announced he would skip the primary and run as an independent in November.
CHANG: That is WNYC's Brigid Bergin. Thank you so much, Brigid.
BERGIN: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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