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The moderators and the other candidates all treated him like the frontrunner, and at times Mamdani looked more uncomfortable than he has in debates past.
One notable example of Mamdani getting cornered was when he was pressed on his position on this year’s ballot initiatives regarding housing policy. Both Cuomo and Sliwa loudly and simultaneously hounded him about not having a position, and when asked by a moderator how he planned to vote, Mamdani responded, with what seemed like a knowing half-smile, “I have not yet taken a position on those ballot questions.”
“Oh, what a shocker!” Cuomo quickly responded. Sliwa howled, as did some in the audience.
Later Mamdani again declined to take a position on a different ballot question, prompting a similar response from Cuomo and Sliwa.
Noted Bernadette Hogan at NY1, “This is also a little taste of what reporters on the campaign trail experience when asking Mamdani questions. He goes out of his way to not answer certain questions that could lead to controversy.”
Though he struggled a bit, Mamdani didn’t lose the debate, either. He still effectively centered his campaign messages about affordability and optimism, and he took multiple opportunities to go after Cuomo (and Mayor Adams).
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Chas Danner
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