Joe Lhota and Bill de Blasio faced off in their first one-on-one debate Tuesday evening. The full debate, hosted by WABC-TV 7, is available here. Following the debate, both candidates spoke with the press, continuing their attacks.
Joe Lhota:
During and after the debate, de Blasio continued working to tie Lhota to the Tea Party and Republican Party dysfunction in Washington. Lhota has fought back, asserting for weeks that he rejects both the Tea Party and the Republican tactics in Washington. In his post-debate remarks, Joe Lhota continued pushing back, arguing that he is independent of those elements of his party. He accused Bill de Blasio of “lying about me” and “continu[ing] to lie about who I am and what I am,” and calling de Blasio a “typical classic political hack.”
A Uniter, Not a Divider:
I asked Lhota whether it’s instructive for voters to consider his service under Rudy Giuliani and de Blasio’s service under David Dinkins. He responded by describing himself as a problem-solving unifier during the Giuliani administration, without reference to Dinkins or de Blasio’s time in the Dinkins administration.
Lhota Q&A:
Here is Joe Lhota’s full press Q&A.