Unlike the Democrat’s debate, which covered 20 topics in the course of an hour, the Republican gubernatorial candidates were given only 10 topics to debate. The reason could be there was more name-calling, verbal sniping and charges of falsehoods during the hour-long verbal sparring match.
The topics included: the January 6 Capitol riot; Donald Trump running for president; gun-free zones; economic relief; abortion; getting workers back on payroll; congestion pricing; removing DA; domestic terrorism; and LGBTQ in school curriculum.
The four gubernatorial candidates – Congressman Lee Zeldin of Long Island, former two-term Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, former aide to President Donald Trump Andrew Giuliani and businessman Harry Wilson – came out swinging right out of the gate.
Wilson called Zeldin “a broken candidate.” Zeldin called Wilson “a never-Trumper” and Astorino “Rolex Rob.” No one came up with a pejorative name for Giuliani, who remained silent during much of the debate from an undisclosed, remote location because he would not reveal whether he had had a Covid vaccine.
When asked whether Trump should run for president in 2024 and who would support him, Giuliani, 36, gave the former president his wholehearted, unwavering support.
“I think President Trump was a great president,” Giuliani told viewers on CBS stations across the state. “Honestly, I’m hopeful he runs again. I would be honored in any capacity, certainly as governor of New York, to work with a president who was as effective as he was and that’s the kind of change that he brought to the United States of America that we need to bring to New York.”
Zeldin, 42, was as charitable with his praise of the former president but slammed his opponent at the same time.
“If President Trump wants to run, he should run. I believe he will be the Republican nominee and he will win,” Zeldin said. “Never-Trumper Harry Wilson refused to vote for Donald Trump in the 2020 election against Joe Biden. Look how we are now as a nation. I believe we are battling for the heart and soul of our country. It’s not just the Democrats, it’s the RINOs [Republicans In Name Only] like Harry Wilson making sure we had this one moment in time with one-party Democratic rule in Washington, DC.”
Then Wilson, 50, had his turn calling Zeldin’s attacks “dishonest.”
“People have to take responsibility for their own actions,” Wilson said. “People who broke the law should be prosecuted to the fullest extent in any illegal activity. The people who broke the law by invading the Capitol should be prosecuted. That’s where the responsibility lies. Mr. Trump did not invade the Capitol. If Mr. Trump decides to run for president in 2024, I do believe he will be the nominee and he will make that decision in due time.”
Then Wilson began his barrage of attacks on Zeldin and the shouting match commenced.
“He’s scared because he’s a broken candidate,” Wilson charged. “I am a Reagan conservative. I have fought for conservative principles my whole life. He [Zeldin] will do anything and say anything to distract from his terrible record as a Cuomo clone, which defines his time in Albany.”
Astorino, 55, broke from the pack by saying Trump “bears some responsibility.”
“These hearings now are complete and utter political theatre in Washington, DC. We need to start looking towards 2022 this year. Our state is in a crisis right now,” Astorino said. “Our country is an utter mess with President Biden. What happens in 2024 the party will figure that out whether President Trump wants to run for president again but we have great candidates if he doesn’t run.”
Lee Zeldin was “a reliable vote for Andrew Cuomo the entire time so he did have his chance and he blew it,” Astorino continued. “That’s another reason why I’m running because I ran in 2014 and everything has just gotten worse.”
“Notice that never-Trumper Harry Wilson didn’t deny the fact that he refused to vote for Donald Trump over Joe Biden,” Zeldin said. “What we’re seeing with these constant lies from never-Trumper Wilson and Rolex Rob, they claim that I have supported Andrew Cuomo. I actually endorsed the Republican against Andrew Cuomo every time in 2010, 2014, 2018 and led the call for his prosecution. Rolex Rob is now on a losing streak. He has lost three consecutive races for three different offices. He’ll say anything he possibly can for votes. The Cuomo attack is ridiculous and I supported him against Cuomo in 2014.”
When it came to discussing gun-free zones the pistols were put in their holsters.
“Gun-free zones don’t work at all,” exclaimed Astorino.
“The gun problem is with criminals, the mentally ill and purveyors of hate,” Wilson said. “The problem is ineffective government not dealing with the core problem rather than blaming the citizens who are law-abiding.”
“Gun-free zones don’t work,” Zeldin agreed. “They actually become a target for innocent civilians to be attacked because the person carrying out the offense knows they are going to encounter less resistance.”
“We need to end this war on our police and allow for proactive policing,” Giuliani said, not directly answering the question of gun-free zones. “I would opt for my father’s plan [when he was mayor of New York City] of the Stop, Question and Frisk policy.”
After that brief moment of civility, the guns came out blazing first from Wilson chastising Zeldin and Zeldin countering Wilson’s attacks as the two talked over each other.
“Since 2010, Mr. Zeldin has asked me multiple times to run for statewide office,” Wilson charged. “In January of this year, he asked me to be on his ticket. So why is he dishonestly attacking me now? Because his campaign is disintegrating. He is attacking his biggest threat because we are surging right now. It’s not some career politician who failed us in Albany for four years.”
“I never asked and I would never ask never-Trumper Harry Wilson to,” Zeldin said but was cut off. “It was January 12, I have the notes, don’t lie,” Wilson said.
“That is a zero percent chance but,” Zeldin countered … “I wouldn’t want you to serve. I chose [Alison] Esposito, a commanding officer for the inspector of the 70th precinct. She has 24 years in a career with the NYPD. You’re on the wrong debate stage, man. You should be debating Williams, Hochul and Suozzi on the Democratic party debate stage right now,” Zeldin said of Wilson as the moderators let the two have at it without calling for a ceasefire.
“There’s nothing in that budget that funded the SAFE Act,” Zeldin exclaimed. “I opposed the SAFE Act every step of the way. I co-sponsored the bill to repeal it. I spoke at two pro-NRA rallies against the SAFE Act.”
Then Zeldin once again took aim at Wilson.
“I don’t mind taking on all three of you tonight and I’m looking forward to taking on and defeating Kathy Hochul in November,” Zeldin said. “You can lie as much as you want but Republican voters are smarter than you, Harry Wilson. You went to Harvard, yes, but don’t think you are smarter than the Republican voters across the state of New York who can figure you out, never-Trumper. They figured you out that you worked twice as an Obama advisor. They figured you out that you fired your own vaccinated employees. Just be honest with voters.”
Zeldin, who is Jewish, brought up crimes not committed with gun violence.
“While we had that conversation about guns, we can’t lose sight of that other conversation about all the crimes not involving guns,” Zeldin explained. “People being pushed in front of an oncoming subway car, stabbed to death in their apartment, beaten to death with a hammer, the antisemitic violence – Sikh cab drivers are [also] being targeted. We have to combat all of the raw violent hate.”
All four GOP candidates agreed that economic relief in the state lies many miles underground in an area known as the Marcellus Shale, where fracking could take place if made legal in the state. Fracking the shale to produce low-cost energy is being advocated by all the candidates as the savior of the New York economy.
As was the case in the Democratic debate, the topic of congestion pricing was chosen as a subject for the candidates to answer.
All opposed congestion pricing, saying it will put a burden on New Yorkers at a time when they can least afford it. Congestion pricing is a policy that would charge motorists who travel in Manhattan south of 60th Street from east to west. The money would be intended to hold off any fare hikes on the buses and subways run by the city mass transit system, the MTA.
All four candidates said instead of congestion pricing, getting rid of speed cameras and red light cameras and having the MTA run more efficiently would be a way to offset raising the mass transit fares.
Zeldin is the only one of the four candidates who has chosen a running mate, so whoever wins the June primary will have Alison Esposito as their number two on the statewide ticket.
This was the only debate for the four GOP gubernatorial candidates slated before the June 28 primary. Early voting begins June 18 and runs through June 26. You must be enrolled as a Republican to vote in the Republican primary.
