NEW YORK (AP) — New York City mayoral candidates Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa tried to blunt Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani's momentum during a contentious first general election debate Thursday.

Cuomo, now running as an independent, spent much of the evening repeating his case that Mamdani lacks the experience to lead America’s biggest city and that his agenda is too radically left. Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, hit back, criticizing the former governor's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and repeatedly raising sexual harassment allegations that Cuomo denies.

But it was unclear whether any candidate did enough to move the needle during their two hours on stage.

For Cuomo, who spent much of the debate on defense, batting away criticisms over his long tenur

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