Mark Halperin Explains The ‘Tragedy’ He Saw In This Week’s New York Mayoral Debate

Political analyst Mark Halperin said Friday that this week’s New York City mayoral debate revealed a glaring failure, not from the candidates, but from the moderators.

Democratic New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and Republican New York City mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa faced off Thursday in a debate for the New York City mayoral race.

“The tragedy for me is in two hours, the moderators never really tried to pin Mamdani down on the economic policies that he’s espousing. And how he proposes to pay for things that are not currently affordable. The other candidates didn’t do it either,” Halperin said on “Special Report with Bret Baier.”

“And I think even though, as Mark [Penn] said, there is another debate, I think he’s going to be elected mayor of New York City without even [coming] close to explaining how his numbers add up on the outside.”

Halperin said it is “very difficult” to see how Cuomo can change the dynamic of the race.

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“I never like to take it away from the voters or declare it’s over, but I think it’s as cooked as a Twinkie and a pizza oven for 35 minutes,” Halperin added. “It’s very difficult to see how Cuomo changes the dynamic of the race. I don’t think Sliwa would be more likely to get out after his performance last night, because I’d argue he was probably the best person on the stage.”

During the debate, the moderators asked Mamdani why he refused to endorse Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, even after she publicly backed his campaign. When asked by moderators to raise their hands if they would support Hochul’s reelection, neither Mamdani nor his opponents responded. (RELATED: Mamdani Dodges Straight Answer When CNN Asks If Trump Deserves Credit For Brokering Ceasefire)

“It’s a decision that should be made after this general election,” Mamdani said.

Mamdani also did not deny Cuomo’s accusation that he did not vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Instead, the socialist Democrat said he left his ballot blank to protest what he called “the Israeli genocide of Palestinians.”

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