NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, L.I. Congressman Tom Suozzi slam Gov. Kathy Hochul's record in debate
NEW YORK -- Two candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for New York governor participated in a debate Thursday night on NY1.
But notably absent was Gov. Kathy Hochul, who declined the invitation.
Despite that, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Long Island Congressman Tom Suozzi repeatedly slammed Hochul's record.
They answered a host of questions, ranging from gun violence to the economy to COVID.
"I support vaccines. I support boosters. I support wearing masks when appropriate, but I don't support mandates. It's become too toxic in our culture right now," Suozzi said. "I'm very concerned about these young children who for two years have been wearing masks on their face when they're trying to go to school and they're trying to learn how to speak."
"I do have to agree the mandates have become a touchy subject. I will also agree that some of those mandates have saved a lot of lives. What we needed was swift action. We needed clear action and concise action. We didn't get that from the Cuomo-Hochul administration," Williams said.
The candidates also discussed requiring workers to come back to the office. Both support hybrid schedules in certain cases.
Hochul will join Suozzi and Williams on the debate stage in five days on CBS2. The Democratic debate is set for June 7 at 7 p.m. and will be hosted by CBS2's Maurice DuBois and political reporter Marcia Kramer in partnership with WCBS Newsradio 880.
A week later, the leading Republican contenders in the New York governor's race will debate on CBS2, including former Westchester Executive Rob Astorino, Rudy Giuliani's son Andrew Giuliani, businessman Harry Wilson and Congressman Lee Zeldin. The debate will be held on Monday, June 13 at 7 p.m.
You can watch both debates live on CBS2 or streaming on CBS News New York.