Who won the first NYC Democratic mayoral primary debate?

Ex-Gov.Andrew Cuomo won Wednesday night’s Democratic mayoral primary debate — because his opponents’ relentless attacks did more to elevate him than drag him down, a Post panel of veteran campaign strategists said.The thrice-elected Democrat took some gut punches, but there was no knockout blow or major blunder on his part, the political analysts on both sides of the aisle said.“I tuned in to see a mayoral debate, not a debate about Andrew Cuomo,” quipped campaign strategist Ken Frydman of the nine-person debate moderated by NBC 4 NY and Politico.“By making Andrew the debate, they elevated him,” said Frydman.Because Cuomo was constantly under fire, he got more air time to respond to each jab and by default dominated the more than two hour debate, the political experts said.“Everyone tried to land a punch on Andrew Cuomo, but failed,” said campaign strategist O’ Brien “OB” Murray.“The first 20 minutes gave Cuomo the center stage, literally and figuratively,” he said, referring to the ex-gov’s position in the middle of the group of candidates standing on the dais at 30 Rockefeller Center.“He handled the attacks and was able to deflect.

They actually gave him more airtime than they should have,” Murray said.Republican campaign strategist Bill O’Reilly said the verbal pummeling Cuomo received from most of his eight primary rivals does not alter his status as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.“It was Andrew Cuomo vs.the Lilliputians, and the Lilliputians fell short.

That’s the bottom line,” O’Reilly said.“Someone needed to trip up the former governor to slow his momentum, but it was clear from the jump that wouldn’t happen.Cuomo hasn’t lost a step since leaving Albany, and the field lacked the skill to crack him.”Cuomo also counter-attacked, taking shots at his biggest threats in the polls — 33-year-old Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, a state Assembly member from Queens, and City Comptroller Brad ...