NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City mayoral candidates Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa tried to blunt Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani's momentum during a contentious first general election debate Thursday.
Cuomo, now running as an independent, spent much of the evening repeating his case that Mamdani lacks the experience to lead America's biggest city and that his agenda is too radically left. Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, hit back, criticizing the former governor's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and repeatedly raising sexual harassment allegations that Cuomo denies.
But it was unclear whether any candidate did enough to move the needle during their two hours on stage.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The three candidates hoping to become New York City's next mayor will face off on the debate stage Thursday night.
Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa are all expected to take part.
The debate starts at 7 p.m.
