Voters can likely expect some fireworks Wednesday night during the much-anticipated Cuomo-Nixon debate. The event will be the first — and only — time incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo and challenger Cynthia Nixon will face off before the New York primary on Sept. 13.
The Cuomo-Nixon debate will take place at Hofstra University on Long Island and is hosted by CBS2. Voters can watch the debate at 7 p.m. on CBS2, cbsnewyork.com and on CBS2’s Facebook page.
It will be the first political debate for longtime actress and activist Nixon and the first New York primary debate since 2002 for Cuomo, who is seeking his third consecutive term as governor, The New York Times reported.
Cuomo’s last head-to-head debate was in 2006 against Jeanine Pirro, his Republican contender for state Attorney General, a fact that Nixon called out on Twitter earlier this week.
“For the first time in 12 years, Gov. Cuomo agreed to a one-on-one primary debate — if we agreed to all of his requirements,” she wrote. “I will debate him backward and in high heels if I have to.”
For the first time in 12 years, Gov. Cuomo agreed to a one-on-one primary debate—if we agreed to all of his requirements.
I will debate him backward and in high heels if I have to.
Chip in what you can today to show Cuomo that we’re ready for anything: https://t.co/pg8fcy4sJ8 pic.twitter.com/pMLLcAsAZm
— Cynthia Nixon (@CynthiaNixon) August 27, 2018
What to expect from the Cuomo-Nixon debate
During the Cuomo-Nixon debate, voters will likely see the incumbent governor highlighting his past record in Albany, while Nixon is expected to call him out for New York City’s mass transit crisis, corruption and his similarities to President Donald Trump.
She will also likely bring up the mission of her recent Wall Street rally in which she led a group of activists demanding Cuomo return $64,00 in donations Trump made to him between 2001 and 2009.
Cuomo’s camp told Metro after the rally that he is “using his contributions to elect Democrats up and down the ticket to fight his agenda tooth and nail.”
When asked by CBS2 how he was prepping for Wednesday’s Cuomo-Nixon debate, the governor replied: “by governing.”
Nixon told the station she was “doing what I’ve done all this campaign. I’m going to voters, and I’m talking to them about the issues that they care most about.”
If elected, Nixon would be New York’s first female governor.
Check back with metro.us on Thursday for a recap of the Cuomo-Nixon debate.
