4 NYC mayoral debate highlights: From Mamdani's Hamas views to Cuomo's COVID response

1. 2020 nursing home deaths

Cuomo, who served as governor during the 2020 coronavirus emergency, was a frequent target during the debate for his handling of New York's stay-at-home orders and for allegedly mishandling the city's response.

"If we have a health pandemic, then why would New Yorkers turn back to the governor who sent seniors to their deaths in nursing homes?" said Mamdani. "That's the kind of experience that's on offer here today. What I don't have in experience, I make up for in integrity. And what you don't have in integrity, you could never make up for in experience."

Cuomo refuted the allegation. "First, what you said 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. But yes, people died during COVID, and my heart breaks for everyone that died in this state and across this nation."

In March 2020, the Cuomo administration sent around 9,000 recovering COVID-19 patients to hundreds of nursing homes in New York in a move to lessen the burden on hospitals. The plan was criticized for putting elderly people in danger, with The Associated Press reporting in 2021 that as many as 15,000 nursing home residents in New York died from COVID-19 during the time period that Cuomo's order was in effect.

He also criticized the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation for allegations that he lied to Congress about decisions he made during the pandemic while serving as governor, calling it a politically motivated issue that has not progressed.

"That is a political issue with the Congress," said Cuomo. "They made a referral, which has gone absolutely nowhere."