Mayoral candidates faced off in their first general election debate on Oct. 16 and they’ll meet again on Wednesday. To break down how last Thursday’s debated resonated with voters, Jeff Coltin spoke to WFUV News.

Coltin is an author of Politico’s New York Playbook, a daily newsletter covering city and state politics. He discussed how New York State Assembly member and Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani has maintained a dominant lead in the polls against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent candidate, and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee.  Coltin noted how debates, personality, and foreign policy have shaped the tone of the campaign so far.

Coltin said Mamdani’s lead, which the recent AARP and Gotham Polling has at 43.5% as opposed to Cuomo at 28.9% and Sliwa at 19.4%,  has remained durable

“Every poll is showing Cuomo down by double digits,” he said. “I just don’t think Cuomo landed any knockout blows [in the debate]. The state of the race is the same today as it was the day before the debate with Mamdani in a steady lead.”

Coltin did note Sliwa’s surprising moment of connection with some voters online. While the candidate’s charismatic performance stood out, Coltin believes it didn’t necessarily translate to broader or tangible support.

“[Sliwa] is a natural-born entertainer; he’s been doing talk radio for 40 years,” Coltin said. “He was funny, a real New Yorker, but the reaction was more entertainment than trust in making him the next mayor.”

On the debate’s more divisive issues, Coltin thinks that Cuomo’s repeated attacks over Mamdani’s position on Israel and Palestinians didn’t seem to move voters.

“I was surprised Cuomo went back to the same arguments he made in the primary,” Coltin said. “At this point, I just don’t see the anti-Mamdani opposition growing.”

The second debate will be held on Wednesday, October 22, hosted by Spectrum News, WNYC, and The City. Election Day is November 4, 2025.