After a nail-biting battle on November 4th, Democrat Zohran Mamdani took out Independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa by a landslide after hitting record high votes of 1,036,051. He made a “triple-crown” by becoming the youngest, first South Asian, and first Muslim mayor of NYC.
To avoid getting political here, let’s just say the truth of candidates is perhaps best decided through their actions after they take office. After all, actions speak louder than words.
The fate of the candidates was perhaps decided on Thursday October 16, 2025, at the New York City general mayoral debate. There, Mamdani, Cuomo, and Sliwa expressed and debated their point of views on different issues within NYC.
However, it seems the debate not only identified NYC as a main issue but also the Israel-Palestine conflict. Candidates were berated on their stance within the conflict. Is that truly relevant to the mayoral election? Does supporting one side make a candidate a better mayor? Are these questions asked just to stir up some propaganda?
With Mamdani and Cuomo throwing accusation after accusation, the debate was as fiery as a temperamental dragon.
“What I don’t have in experience, is what I make up for in integrity and what you don’t have in integrity, you could never make up for in experience,” Mamdani rebutted Cuomo after he declared him not fit to lead NYC. Pieces of the debate such as this one gained the most attention on social media. Marking Mamdani as a ‘hero’.
A BHS Senior Jaden said, “I agree with Mamdani’s policies, and I think he makes the most sense out of the three candidates and is someone who I personally believe in.”
BHS Teacher Mr. Gorman said, “ The thing that struck me was that many of them were trying to strike for a ‘viral moment’ or ‘sound bite’ instead of actually debating. The media coverage later focused on those moments instead of the actual policy debate.”
With Mamdani’s victory in the election, the true question presents itself: will he fulfill his promise of a better and more affordable NYC, or will he crash and burn?
