New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani accused Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman of "bigotry and racism" on Tuesday night despite admitting to not having watched Blakeman's debate with Gov.Kathy Hochul live.Mamdani made the statement in comments to reporters on Wednesday after Blakeman and Hochul squared off on Tuesday night.
A reporter asked Mamdani whether he was bothered that Hochul hadn't responded to Blakeman's claims that the NYC mayor is an antisemite."So I think, you know, it is hard for anyone to keep up with all of the bigotry and racism that Bruce Blakeman exhibits on a regular basis.So I think that the governor did a good job and I'll never fault someone for not being able to catch all of it because that is a fool's errand when it comes to Bruce Blakeman," Mamdani said.SHOCK POLL: POWERFUL BLUE STATE GOV'S LEAD SHRINKS TO SINGLE DIGITS WEEKS BEFORE ELECTIONGov.
Kathy Hochul and Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman face off in the only scheduled debate ahead of the November New York gubernatorial election on Tuesday, Oct.13, 2026, in New York.
(Anna Connors/Pool The New York Times)"And I think the governor also made clear, you know, I've said that I, I didn't watch the the debate beyond the clip, but I think the governor has made clear time and time again what her vision is.It's a vision of a more affordable New York," he continued."And when it comes to Bruce Blakeman, his vision seems to be making life harder for working people.
When the governor and I announced putting our city on a pathway to universal childcare, Bruce Blakeman went on television and said this was rewarding lazy parents who would sit at home and watch 'The View.' When we were speaking about concerns about what HR1 was going to do with regards to healthcare access across the state, Bruce Blakeman went on television and said that he would cut Medicaid in half," he added.The debate opened with the candidates being asked about the conduct of U.S.Immigration and Customs Enf...