New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang broke with other contenders during a heated debate on Wednesday night, acknowledging that he would welcome support from embattled current mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the city’s upcoming Democratic primary.
It was the first time the candidates had been in the same room for a debate, as opposed to the earlier ones done virtually, which set up an at-times cacophonous.
Discussion of public safety and recovery from the pandemic mixed with plenty of personal attacks dominated a Wednesday night debate among the eight leading contenders for the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor.
The three leading candidates in the Democratic primary are decidedly supportive of charter schools — a dramatic shift from when Mayor Bill de Blasio was elected eight years ago.
adamkaz/iStock(NEW YORK) With only ten days until early voting begins, eight Democratic candidates vying to be New York City's chief executive will take the debate stage in person for the first time Wednesday night. It's a precursor to a first-of-its-kind race in the nation's largest city. New York has adopted ranked choice voting and election officials say the final outcome won't be known until weeks after polls close. It's a reality some worry will further erode New York's historically low turnout for city elections. "We don't know the impacts of ranked choice voting," said Hank Scheinkopf, a longtime New York political consultant. "We do know that when you fool with the voting system, you tend to disrupt behaviors that are learned, you tend to reduce turnout, and create confusion." When New Yorkers cast their ballots in the mayoral primary, they'll list up to five choices for the city's chief executive, instead of ch