Andrew Cuomo faces a pile-on and other takeaways from New York City mayoral debate

CNN —

Andrew Cuomo faced a two-hour pile-on Wednesday as eight other Democrats vying for the party’s nomination for New York City mayor spent their first debate attempting to knock the former governor off his perch.

Cuomo faced attacks over his management of the coronavirus pandemic and the sexual harassment allegations that drove him out of the governor’s office. In particular, he sparred with his biggest progressive rival, state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.

All of them sought to demonstrate that they’d be best able to stand up to President Donald Trump , a native New Yorker who has frequently targeted his hometown. The Trump administration earlier in the day escalated its fight with Columbia University, on the city’s Upper West Side, declaring the school doesn’t meet accredita