On Thursday night, Democratic mayoral primary candidates will take to the debate stage for the second and last time before early voting begins on Saturday. While eleven candidates are on the ballot, only seven have met the Campaign Finance Board’s fundraising requirements to be considered “leading contenders” in order to qualify. The higher bar set by the CFB for this second outing means that two candidates that participated last week’s debate on NBC – Michael Blake and Jessica Ramos – have not made the cut for the June 12th debate, which will air live on Spectrum News at 7 p.m. Here are the candidates that will be in facing off with the moderators and live audience.
Andrew Cuomo: The former governor announced his candidacy at the beginning of March, but by that time it had already been the stuff of headlines for months. Cuomo may have resigned as governor in 2021 after nearly a dozen women who had worked under him accused him of sexual harassment, but that did not deter prospective voters. In the first poll conducted after his announcement, him twenty points ahead of the field of primary hopefuls, a lead that has only narrowed in recent days as rival Zohran Mamdani has drawn level. Cuomo is running a centrist campaign that plays on his work in high-level positions, arguing that his position as Housing and Urban Development secretary under President Bill Clinton makes him uniquely qualified for meeting the challenges related to housing and affordability in the city. The completion of a number of public works under his tenure, including long-stalled projects like the renovation of LaGuardia airport and the expansion of the Q subway line, are also major selling points. Cuomo has recently attracted attention by getting the endorsements of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Democratic primary rival Jessica Ramos, who called him “the one best positioned right now to protect this city.” Cuomo’s campaign has received a great deal of support from the business community, a fact that his rivals have been keen to point out, noting that some, like financier Bill Ackman, also made sizable donations to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
Zohran Mamdani: Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani’s rise from relative unknown to drawing level in polling with the former governor is impressive by any measure. A self-described Democratic Socialist, Mamdani’s campaign follows in the footsteps of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez before him, going with a grassroots strategy built on small-dollar donations and canvassing that has put him second only to Cuomo in funds raised. Mamdani, 33, has been endorsed by AOC and a number of other progressive officials and organizations, as well as some less expected supporters like State Senator John Liu, who declared his support despite a “big disagreement” with Mamdani on Israel, saying that “people may disagree with him on issues, but he has held himself to the utmost integrity.” Running to the left of every other candidate in the field, Mamdani’s policies include a rent freeze, free bus service, and the creation of a city-run grocery chain to compete with private offerings. How to pay for it? Higher taxes on top earners, as well as a vacant apartment tax.
Brad Lander: New York’s current comptroller has been vigilant on the job, being the first to have noticed the clawback of $80 million of federal funds from the Trump administration that was meant to go to migrant services earlier this year. Playing up the technocratic nature of his current position, Lander has promised to “govern strategically,” promoting pragmatic policies like a proposal to make CUNY free if graduates teach in NYC schools for five years. offering legal aid to migrants in the crosshairs of Trump’s mass deportation program, Despite the reputation he’s built for himself as a contrast to Mayor Adams from within City Hall, Lander has not been able to close the gap with Mamdani and Cuomo, sitting at 9% in a recent poll, four points ahead of…
Scott Stringer: New York’s former comptroller is running on a similar platform as the current one, playing up the nuts-and-bolts knowledge the position both affords and requires. Stringer ran in the 2021 race as well, but his campaign was hobbled by sexual abuse allegations against him, which he is now fighting in court. Due to this, he and Lander have significant overlap in their appeals to voters, although Stringer has distinguished himself by coming out more forcefully against Trump’s mass deportation policy, saying that he is “not going to cooperate with people that take children off the street,” and wants to bring NYCLU President Donna Lieberman into City Hall to help with the effort.
Adrienne Adams: No relation to the mayor, City Council Speaker Adams is also running on her deep experience in city politics, telling New Yorkers in various settings that she doesn’t “need a manual” and is “ready on day one,” even going so far as to say that she’s already taken the mantle of city leadership due to a power vacuum from the scandal-ridden mayor’s office. Her most consistent talking point is that she fought cuts to “programs working families rely on,” keeping libraries open and protecting early childhood education. New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ endorsement also holds a lot of sway for New Yorkers who are keen on a mayor opposed to the Trump administration. Despite her convincing resume as an effective advocate for New Yorkers and the backing of a popular AG, Adams’ campaign has been hampered by her tardy entry into the race (she announced on March 5th, even later than Cuomo) and lack of name recognition outside of insider circles.
Zellnor Myrie: The state senator from Brooklyn’s endorsements are perhaps a key to why his campaign has not taken off as he might have hoped. The blessing of a prominent and well-respected figure like Zephyr Teachout certainly carries weight, but getting the nod from both the Working Families Party (who ranks Myrie 4th on their ballot) and Abundance New York might be a sign that Myrie’s trying to be both progressive and centrist at the same time. The 38-year-old son of Costa Rican immigrants has focused on expanding public after-school programs and singificantly expanding the construction of new housing, with a plan to build over 700,000 new homes over the next ten years.
Whitney Tilson: An investor and former hedge fund executive, Tilson’s goal of reaching the mayor’s office was always a longshot, and in some ways he has exceeded expectations by making it to the final debate stage before the primary. His campaign has focused on public safety and the expansion of charter schools. Tilson has also sought increases in housing supply that he says would reduce rents by 20%. He is also running on reducing crime by 50%, and is a strong supporter of charter schools, having sat on the board of the KIPP school network. Tilson has also drawn a much harder pro-Israel line than his fellow candidates, having been the only one in last week’s debate to quibble on whether or not Mahmoud Khalil should be released from an ICE detention center in Louisiana, where he has been held fro months without trial.
