Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo debate again in a campaign defined by their clashes

One thing is certain in New York City's race for mayor: There’s no love lost between the top candidates, Democratic nominee and state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani and former Democratic governor-turned-independent Andrew Cuomo.

One thing is certain in New York City's race for mayor: There’s no love lost between the top candidates, Democratic nominee and state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani and former Democratic governor-turned-independent Andrew Cuomo.

And as the two prepare to face off in their first general election debate Thursday, along with Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, a review of the tape from Mamdani and Cuomo's two Democratic primary debates shows how they have positioned themselves in diametric opposition to each other — and as the answer for voters seeking to address the other's shortcomings.

To Cuomo, the almost 34-year-old Mamdani is a young man in a hurry whose lack of experience should disqualify him from leading America’s largest city. Not only that, Cuomo considers Mamdani to be the face of a wing of the Democratic Party that he believes is leading the whole organization astray on issues from support for Israel to economic policy.

To Mamdani, Cuomo is the manifestation of a broken Democratic Party establishment, a root cause of the affordability crisis at the center of his entire campaign, and a politician who has lost the public trust after being accused of sexual misconduct, allegations Cuomo denies.

Andrew Cuomo says he ‘learned to be more careful’ after harassment allegations but has no regrets01:24Perhaps no exchange typifies the pair's disdainful dynamic than one from the NY1/Spectrum News primary debate in early June, when both men were asked about their experience.