Cuomo touted his decades of experience in office, rising from federal housing secretary during President Bill Clinton’s administration to New York’s governor.
But his controversies while governor have shadowed his campaign. At the ebate, Cuomo came prepared for a fight.
He resigned as governor in 2021 after an investigation by the state attorney general found he had sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo apologised for acting “in a way that made people feel uncomfortable” but denied allegations.
The New York attorney general investigated his administration for undercounting nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic, finding he understated the actual number of deaths.
Mamdani attacked Cuomo on these matters, accusing him of “sending seniors to their death in nursing homes,” and accused him of lacking integrity.
Cuomo said the allegations about harming seniors in nursing homes was “totally false.”
“During Covid, everyone did whatever they could in this state, and there have been numerous investigations where they’ve gone through it, and they said we followed federal guidance,” Cuomo said. “But yes, people died during Covid. And my heart breaks for everyone that broken, that died in this state and across this nation.”
Sliwa, too, attacked Cuomo for the “lawsuits filed against you for sexual harassment.” The former governor rebutted that the case brought New York attorney general Letitia James, who investigated the misconduct claims, “was political.”
