Mamdani Confronts Cuomo; Cuomo Faces New Controversies

At Wednesday’s New York City mayoral debate Zohran Mamdani confronted Andrew Cuomo over allegations that 13 women credibly accused him of sexual harassment, summoned accuser Charlotte Bennett to the audience, and said Cuomo spent more than $20 million of taxpayer money defending himself and legally pursued his accusers. Cuomo denied the allegations, said multiple district attorneys investigated and the cases were dropped, and called Mamdani’s statements a mischaracterization. Separately, Cuomo drew fierce criticism after laughing on a conservative radio show when asked to imagine Mamdani “cheering” a second 9/11, a remark Democrats denounced as fear‑mongering and Islamophobic. The Cuomo campaign also briefly posted then pulled an AI‑generated ad depicting caricatured criminals endorsing Mamdani; the video went viral, was condemned as offensive, and may have violated state election disclosure laws. Mamdani has emerged as the Democratic front‑runner while Cuomo is running as an independent, and the clashes have refocused the race on character, ethics and campaign tactics.