The fiery first round last week saw sharp exchanges over affordability, crime, and President Donald Trump’s deepening role in city politics.
The debate, hosted by Spectrum NY1, The City and WNYC/Gothamist, begins at 7 p.m.
We’ll begin streaming live debate reaction and analysis on our YouTube page embedded below. Click here if you’re having trouble viewing.
Dig deeper:
While no clear winner emerged, analysts say Mamdani held his lead by avoiding major missteps, Cuomo relied on his executive experience and Sliwa’s offbeat humor and streetwise anecdotes, including stories about his mafia run-ins, made him an unlikely social media favorite.
Ben Max, host of the Max Politics podcast, joined Good Day New York on Friday morning with his analysis of the debate.
When asked if anyone won, Max said there were no “game changers” from the debate, meaning “Zohran Mamdani, as the front-runner, had a pretty good debate because he didn’t make any huge gaff and nobody brought him down significantly.”
Max added: “But I did think, in the debate itself, if you just look at how it was debated, Curtis Sliwa had a pretty good night.”
What’s next:
Election Day 2025 is Tuesday, Nov. 4, 13 days away.
You can check your registration status online here.
To find your local poll site, click here.
By the numbers:
Here’s a look at some of the latest polls in the race for NYC mayor:
Some companies have begun taking what amounts to bets on the outcome of the NYC mayoral election.
What you can do:
Bookmark FOX 5 NY’s election results page to track results in real time when polls close on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
The backstory:
Returning to the mayoral race after his 2021 defeat to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Curtis Sliwa brings his tough-on-crime message back to the Republican forefront. The Guardian Angels founder and outspoken radio host is banking on his core base in conservative outer-borough neighborhoods.
He has focused his campaign on public order and community-focused housing.
After conceding defeat in the Democratic primary, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has officially qualified to run as an independent in the general election, staging a late comeback that could reshape the race. Cuomo is presenting himself as a steady hand with deep experience, seeking to appeal to moderates, independents and disaffected Democrats wary of both Mamdani’s progressivism and Sliwa’s conservatism.
He has focused his campaign on restoring public safety and affordability. He calls for adding 5,000 officers to the NYPD and increasing patrols in subways and retail corridors.
At 33, Zohran Mamdani stands out as a Democratic Socialist and a rising star in New York City politics. As a state assemblyman, Mamdani surged ahead on a fiercely progressive platform promising rent freezes, fare-free public transit, universal childcare, and an unprecedented push for public housing expansion.
His campaign is centered on housing, affordability and equity.
You might notice mayoral candidates like Zohran Mamdani or Curtis Sliwa listed twice — that’s because they’re endorsed by multiple parties. Mamdani appears on both the Democratic and Working Families party lines, while Sliwa is listed under Republican and Protect Animals.
But remember: You can only vote once for a candidate. Filling in both circles for the same person won’t give them two votes — it just risks confusing your ballot. So, pick one circle next to your preferred candidate’s name, under either party line.
Not this time. Unlike the primaries, which used ranked-choice voting, the general election is winner-takes-all. That means you vote for one candidate per race, and whoever gets the most votes wins.
You might still see names like Jim Walden and Mayor Eric Adams on the ballot, even though they’ve exited the race. That’s because they dropped out after the ballot printing deadline — too late for the Board of Elections to remove them.
If you want your vote to count toward an active candidate, make sure to choose someone still in the race.
A lot! While the mayor’s race draws most of the attention, there are several down-ballot races that directly affect neighborhoods and day-to-day city life — including:
Dig deeper:
Flip over your ballot, and you’ll see six ballot proposals. The deal with land use, affordable housing, creating a digital map for the city and an election year shift.

