Zohran Mamdani said Wednesday that he won't participate in any debates in the New York City mayor's race other than two next month that were organized by the local campaign finance board.
In a video, the Democratic nominee said he'll skip out on “unofficial” debates that pop up, but that his rival candidates can fight it out between themselves.
“In the meantime, I won’t be at this televised circus,” Mamdani added.
Instead, Mamdani said he would instead bring “town halls directly to New Yorkers struggling to afford their city."
He is set to appear at a town hall in Brooklyn on Saturday with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a leading progressive who endorsed Mamdani ahead of the primary.
The decision came as other candidates in the race — former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and Republican Curtis Sliwa — have intensified their criticism of Mamdani, a democratic socialist, over his platform and past statements ahead of the city's general election in November.
Mamdani soundly defeated Cuomo in the Democratic primary. Cuomo has since relaunched his campaign as an independent. Adams, a Democrat, skipped the primary to run as an independent in November. Sliwa ran unopposed in the Republican primary.
{{/usCountry}}Mamdani soundly defeated Cuomo in the Democratic primary. Cuomo has since relaunched his campaign as an independent. Adams, a Democrat, skipped the primary to run as an independent in November. Sliwa ran unopposed in the Republican primary.
{{/usCountry}}A spokesperson for Cuomo, Rich Azzopardi, said “Mamdani is a fraud, he knows it and he’s trying to keep the grift together until November."
Campaign representatives for Adams and Sliwa did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
This week, former prosecutor and independent mayoral candidate Jim Walden said he was suspending his campaign while urging others in the race to unite against Mamdani, arguing that time was “slipping away” for an alternative to gain traction.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old state lawmaker, jolted the mayoral race with a grassroots campaign centered on lowering the cost of living in the city. But he has also faced questions about his relative lack of management experience, past criticism of law enforcement, and his positions on various elements of the national Democratic Socialists of America's platform.
Mamdani said he will attend mayoral debates on Oct. 16 and Oct. 22 that were announced by New York City Campaign Finance Board.