While Zohran Mamdani has vile views and worse politics, his campaign has been a logistical triumph and his Democratic debate performance in May was startlingly impressive. There was every reason to expect his debate showdown last night with Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa would be another feather in his cap.

It wasn’t. Mamdani flopped. His answers were defensive. He seemed angry at being questioned at all. It seemed offensive to him that he would have to offer an explanation for having called for defunding the police and refusing to accept the existence of Israel as a Jewish state.

He claimed he never said things he said or that he shouldn’t be accountable for words he wrote only five years ago. He did not seem like a young and happy warrior, more like a petulant graduate student.

But if Mamdani did badly, Andrew Cuomo did worse. And an enjoyable Curtis Sliwa buried Cuomo even deeper.

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The first debate between the mayoral hopefuls vying to run the largest city in the country is in the books.

The slate of candidates -- Zohran Mamdani, Curtis Sliwa and Andrew Cuomo -- will be back on the air on Wednesday at 7 p.m. for the second debate, which will be hosted by NY1.

Check back with The Post in the morning for grades on how the candidates performed Thursday night.

The Post and 2WAY will continue recapping the latest slugfest until 11 p.m.

In a light hearted lightning round of questions, the candidates refused to stand by the Mets when forced into disclosing their true sports allegiances.

The moderators asked whether they would go to a theoretically game 7 featuring the Mets or the Knicks if both were occurring at the same time.

"I'm not going to the Mets game. I'm a Yankee fan,” Sliwa said, not mincing words.

"This is what New Yorkers are sick of. Just pick a team. I'd be there for the Knicks,” Mamdani said.

Cuomo tried to snake out of the question.

"I'm going to go half in half. I can make it back and forth,” he claimed.

Outgoing Mayor Eric Adams got in hot water when trying to sit on the fence over supporting the Yankees or Mets during last year's MLB playoffs.

Mamdani fans are Mets fans!

In the closing minutes of Thursday's debate, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa said he doesn't go to Mets game because he's a Yankees fan – eliciting boos from Mamdani supporters at d.b.a. bar in East Village.

Once the debate wrapped up, Mamdnai fans began a loud chant: 'Zohran! Zohran! Zohran!'

During a bizarre back-and-forth between the candidates and their thoughts on New York City’s many parades, Sliwa seized on the opportunity to ding Mamdani for giving the middle finger to a Christopher Columbus statue.

“Would you protect the Christopher Columbus statues that exist here in the city?” Sliwa asked.

“I'm telling you, my focus is on affordability,” Mamdani replied.

The Post unearthed the old photo of Mamdani flipping off a statue of Columbus in Queens over the summer.

The debate saved the most burning question till the end.

Moderators asked the candidates if they've purchased anything in a cannabis shop, prompting some giggle-inducing answers.

Zohran Mamdani appeared to blush as he said, "I have."

He then hesitatingly smiled and. said: "I purchased marijuana at a legal cannabis shop."

Curtis Sliwa evoked his near-fatal brush with the mafia.

"When I was shot five times, I've had Crohn's disease, I did use medical marijuana," he said.

Cuomo, who signed the bill making recreational weed legal in the state, proved the only square.

"No," he said.

Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani plans to stay in 30 Rock after the debate, where he will appear on MSNBC.

The campaign confirmed that the proud DSA member is scheduled to be on air for "The Briefing with Jen Psaki" at around 9:20 p.m.

Curtis Sliwa slammed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo for saying that episodes of mentally ill individuals should be dealt with teams of cops and mental health workers.

"But that's not happening. That's not realistic. You're dealing with fantasy, all right?," the subway-patrolling Guardian Angel said.

Sliwa continued to hammer the former Governor saying that the proposal wasn't grounded in reality.

"The police officers are going to be the first one on the scene, okay? And they're always going to have to deal with it"

Curtis Sliwa: yes, said he thought it was the mayor's "responsibility" to march in parades, going on that he has been grand marshal.

Andrew Cuomo: "No, unless they discriminated."

Zohran Mamdani: Said there would be many parades he wouldn't attend because "I'd be focusing on the work."

Asked if there were any such events that don't exist but should, Mamdani said: "I haven't thought much about parades to be honest."

Zohran Mamdani couldn't provide much of a financial incentive for companies toying with relocating to the Big Apple with his proposed increased taxes on corporations.

Pressed by moderators as to how he will be a cheerleader for New York City and convince a tech company to pick the pricey city over much cheaper options, such a Texas.

"As the mayor of the city, will deliver that quality of life, will deliver the safety that is the cornerstone of an affordability agenda and will ensure that companies choose to come to this city and also choose to stay in this city, because so much of what drives the tech sector is a hunger for innovation, an unrelenting desire to actually innovate," Mamdani said.

The Democratic nominee has vowed to push to raise to corporate tax rate by 3%, which has caused commotion among those in the business community.