5 Takeaways From the Hochul-Zeldin Debate - The New York Times

• Oct. 25, 2022Updated 10:05 p.m. ET

In their lone scheduled debate, Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York and her challenger, Representative Lee Zeldin, quarreled intensely connected Tuesday implicit divisive issues specified arsenic rising transgression and termination access, portion accusing each different of corruption and unsafe extremism.

Mr. Zeldin, who has spent his run trying to entreaty to voters’ dissatisfaction with the presumption quo, went connected the onslaught from the get-go, often raising his dependable arsenic helium channeled a consciousness of outrage, particularly astir crime. Ms. Hochul, a Buffalo-area Democrat vying for her archetypal afloat term, took a much measured attack that acceptable her insistence that the authorities needs a dependable manus to pb it.

Here’s a recap of immoderate of the astir memorable moments.

Zeldin repeatedly pivoted to crime.

Mr. Zeldin, a Long Island congressman, has for months made transgression the cardinal absorption of his run for governor, and Tuesday’s statement was nary different. From the start, helium attacked Ms. Hochul, charging that she was not doing capable to stem an summation successful superior offenses successful the authorities and particularly New York City, and blamed her policies for fueling fears.

New Yorkers, Mr. Zeldin said successful his opening statement, were “less harmless acknowledgment to Kathy Hochul and utmost policies.”

Mr. Zeldin mostly stuck to tough-on-crime argumentation points that helium honed during his superior campaign. He forcefully criticized Ms. Hochul for opposing further revisions to the state’s bail instrumentality and called for changes to laws that reformed the juvenile justness strategy and the parole strategy successful the state.

Mr. Zeldin besides doubled down repeatedly connected a vow that, if elected, helium would instantly region the Manhattan territory attorney, Alvin Bragg, from office, accusing Mr. Bragg of failing to enforce the state’s transgression code.

Ms. Hochul sought to redirect attraction to her efforts to stem the travel of amerciable guns and noted that she had already tightened the bail reforms earlier this year. Those efforts, she said, had already proven fruitful.

In New York City, the fig of murders and shootings some dropped by astir 14 percent done Sunday compared with the aforesaid clip play past year, though different superior crimes, including robbery, rape and felony assault, person increased, according to constabulary statistics.

Though she mostly kept her chill during the hourlong debate, Ms. Hochul appeared frustrated with Mr. Zeldin’s insistence connected discussing transgression erstwhile moderators were asking astir different topics, thing helium did adjacent during a treatment of abortion.

Hochul says termination is ‘on the ballot.’

Throughout the debate, Ms. Hochul sought to knock Mr. Zeldin’s anti-abortion stance, saying that helium couldn’t tally from his agelong grounds successful Congress opposing entree and backing for abortions.

“You’re the lone idiosyncratic lasting connected this signifier whose sanction close present — not years past — that close now, is connected a measure called ‘Life Begins astatine Conception,’” Ms. Hochul said.

Ms. Hochul formed herself arsenic a bulwark against a imaginable rollback of termination protections successful New York, informing that Mr. Zeldin, if elected, could name a wellness commissioner who is anti-choice — arsenic helium erstwhile pledged to bash — and unopen down wellness clinics that supply reproductive care.

Reiterating a pledge from earlier this month, Mr. Zeldin vowed that helium would not question to unilaterally alteration the state’s already-strict termination protections, which are enshrined successful authorities law. Mr. Zeldin said that doing truthful would beryllium politically unfeasible and that Ms. Hochul was being disingenuous by suggesting helium would bash so, fixed that Democrats power the State Legislature successful Albany and are apt to clasp power this predetermination cycle.

Mr. Zeldin, however, raised the prospects of perchance curbing backing for abortions for women traveling to New York from different states wherever abortions are banned.

“I’ve really heard from a fig of radical who see themselves to beryllium pro-choice, who are not blessed present that their taxation dollars are being utilized to money abortions, many, many, galore states away,” helium said.

Zeldin dances astir his ties to Donald Trump.

For months, Ms. Hochul has emphasized Mr. Zeldin’s adjacent narration with erstwhile President Donald J. Trump, focusing peculiarly connected the congressman’s ballot to overturn the results of the 2020 predetermination hours aft the riot astatine the U.S. Capitol connected Jan. 6.

Though Mr. Zeldin has scoffed astatine Ms. Hochul’s absorption connected that day, erstwhile asked by statement moderators if helium would repetition his vote, helium stood by it.

Mr. Zeldin walked a delicate enactment arsenic helium was questioned astir his narration to the erstwhile president. When asked if helium wanted to spot Mr. Trump tally successful 2024, helium waved distant the question arsenic irrelevant. When Ms. Hochul asked if helium thought Mr. Trump — who mislaid New York by 23 percent points successful 2020 — was “a large president,” helium refused to springiness her a elemental “yes oregon no” answer.

Yet Mr. Zeldin did not denounce Mr. Trump, who remains fashionable with galore of the Republicans that helium needs to gully to the polls if helium hopes to decision Ms. Hochul. He said helium was arrogant to person worked intimately with the erstwhile president connected a laundry database of issues ranging from section transgression to planetary politics.

Ms. Hochul appeared satisfied with the reply. “I’ll instrumentality that arsenic a resounding yes,” she said. “And the voters of New York bash not hold with you.”

Questioning Hochul’s ethics.

Mr. Zeldin wasted small clip impugning Ms. Hochul’s fund-raising efforts, accusing her of orchestrating “pay-to-play” schemes due to the fact that of the ample sums she has raised from radical with concern earlier the state.

In particular, Mr. Zeldin referenced a $637 cardinal declaration that the authorities awarded successful December to Digital Gadgets, a New Jersey-based company, for 52 cardinal at-home coronavirus tests. The laminitis of the company, Charlie Tebele, and his household person fixed much than $290,000 to Ms. Hochul’s run and hosted fund-raisers for the governor.

The Times Union of Albany has reported that the institution charged the authorities astir $12.25 per test, akin to the retail terms for galore tests, and that the institution did not spell done a competitory bidding process.

“So what New Yorkers privation to cognize is what circumstantial measures are you pledging to woody with the pay-to-play corruption that is plaguing you and your administration?” Mr. Zeldin asked.

Ms. Hochul vehemently denied immoderate transportation betwixt the run donations and the contract, saying the institution helped the authorities get an bonzer fig of tests astatine a clip of immense request erstwhile tests were comparatively scarce nationwide. The institution has besides antecedently said that it ne'er communicated with Ms. Hochul oregon her run astir immoderate institution business.

“There is nary pay-to-play corruption,” the politician said. “There has ne'er been a quid pro quo, a argumentation alteration oregon determination made due to the fact that of a contribution.”

Ms. Hochul, intelligibly expecting the onslaught line, utilized the accidental to underscore the millions of dollars that Ronald Lauder, the heir to the cosmetics luck of Estée Lauder, has steered into ace PACs supporting Mr. Zeldin’s campaign, saying, “What worries maine is the information that you person 1 billionaire donor who’s fixed you implicit $10 million.”

Only a glancing absorption connected the economy.

Despite nationalist polls showing that ostentation is simply a top-of-mind interest for voters, the system and rising costs of surviving received little attraction than anticipated during the debate.

Mr. Zeldin promised to slash taxes crossed the committee if elected, saying that “New York is going to beryllium backmost unfastened for concern connected January 1.” He besides vowed to artifact the congestion-pricing program that would complaint drivers a toll for entering portion of Manhattan, which helium believes would load middle-class New Yorkers during a precarious economical moment.

Mr. Zeldin questioned what Ms. Hochul has done arsenic politician to effort and stem New York’s caller colonisation loss. The authorities has mislaid 319,000 radical since mid-2020, a diminution of 1.58 percent that is higher than immoderate different state, chiefly arsenic a effect of residents moving away, according to an analysis by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

In response, Ms. Hochul turned to a crook of operation she deployed respective times during the debate, saying that Mr. Zeldin was much fixated connected “sound bites” than “sound policy.” She challenged him to item which societal programs helium would trim spending connected if helium chopped the state’s firm and idiosyncratic income taxation rates, which are among the highest successful the nation.

And she highlighted her ain grounds of economical investments. She mentioned the taxation rebates she had enacted for the mediate class, arsenic good arsenic a caller statement to transportation Micron to physique a semiconductor installation adjacent Syracuse, a woody that the institution said could make much than 50,000 jobs.