Cuomo Faces Backlash Over AI Ad, Debate Clash

At Wednesday’s New York City mayoral debate, Zohran Mamdani confronted Andrew Cuomo over allegations that 13 women credibly accused him of sexual harassment and summoned accuser Charlotte Bennett to the audience; Cuomo denied the allegations, saying multiple district attorneys investigated and the cases were dropped. Separately, Cuomo’s campaign briefly posted and then deleted a roughly two-minute AI-generated video labeled "criminals for Zohran Mamdani," depicting caricatures including a pimp, a domestic abuser and a shoplifter; the campaign said the clip was an unfinished draft inadvertently posted by a junior staffer. Copies of the clip went viral and drew widespread condemnation from Democrats, advocacy groups and former officials including Bill de Blasio, with critics calling it racist, islamophobic and fear‑mongering. The incident raised concerns it may violate state election rules by failing to identify AI-generated content. Cuomo was also recorded laughing when asked to imagine Mamdani "cheering" another 9/11 — a remark that provoked bipartisan outrage and accusations of Islamophobia — further intensifying scrutiny of his judgment as Mamdani emerges as the Democratic front-runner while Cuomo runs as an independent.