Andrew Cuomo is demanding that his opponent in New York City’s mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani, vacate his rent stabilized apartment, while pushing a longshot proposal that would bar other middle-class renters from accessing much of the city’s housing.

Zohran Mamdani has linked Andrew Cuomo, his New York mayoral rival, to the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Mr Mamdani, the Democratic socialist candidate, called on the former New York governor to “release the Cuomo list” in a 90-second attack video.

The attacks in the New York City mayor’s race may have veered into the personal, but they also reflected a larger debate on who should benefit from government regulation of housing costs.