Leading Democratic candidates for New York governor face off in second debate
NEW YORK -- A combative and confrontational debate between the Democratic candidates for New York governor was held Thursday night as the two men challenging Gov. Kathy Hochul took the gloves off in an attempt to derail her bid for a full four-year term.
CBS2 political reporter Marcia Kramer calls this the "no more Mr. Nice Guy" debate.
With Hochul the prohibitive favorite in the polls, the two men who want her job, Congressman Tom Suozzi and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, threw caution to the wind and risked alienating women voters with harsh attacks on the state's first female governor. She held her own, although the debate at times looked like an episode of "The Bickersons."
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"Governor Kathy Hochul, when she was a member of the United States Congress, voted with the NRA, was endorsed by the NRA and took money from the NRA. She says she's evolved ... The only thing that's evolved are the governor's political ambitions," Suozzi said.
"Those attacks, uh, where do I begin?" Hochul said.
"It's not an attack, governor. That's the facts. You were endorsed by the NRA. You took money from the NRA. That's not an attack, that's the facts of the matter. I know you want to slough it off, but that's the facts," Suozzi said.
"Excuse me, it's my turn to answer the question," Hochul said.
"Go right ahead. We've been waiting for months for you to answer this question," Suozzi said.
"Please stop interrupting me. People want to hear my answer," Hochul said.
"This gun violence cannot be solved by state legislation alone," Williams said.
It was just one of several questions, this one about what they would do if the Supreme Court overturns New York's strict gun carry laws, that had the Democratic candidates for governor at each other's throats as they talked about housing, crime, inflation and taxes.
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With the economy in a tailspin, they were asked what one state tax they would considering lowering to provide relief.
"I would cut state income taxes by 10%, and I would reduce property taxes, especially on senior citizens," Suozzi said.
"I'll tell you one thing I'm not going to do, we're not raising taxes on New Yorkers because they have suffered enough," Hochul said.
"I have to be clear, that 'not raising tax' line is a Republican line that's meant to protect rich donors at the expense of people who need the assistance," Williams said.
Hochul was also attacked over her first decision after succeeding scandal-scarred Andrew Cuomo -- picking Brian Benjamin as her lieutenant governor. He was forced to resigned after being indicted on federal corruption charges.
The three were asked if they would accept the endorsement of Cuomo.
"No, I would not because the people of the state want us to look forward," Hochul said.
"I would not," Williams said.
"Yes, I would accept his endorsement. I think that he's still very popular among a lot of people in New York state, and while he has a lot of baggage along with what he's done, he's accomplished a great deal in the state of New York," Suozzi said.
That was probably the surprise answer of the night, and while there was a lot of disagreement, there were two things the three came together on -- none of them own a gun, and none has ever voted for a Republican.
This was the last debate before the primary on June 28.