The one and only gubernatorial debate before the upcoming election began Tuesday night with Republican candidate Bruce Blakeman imploring New Yorkers to vote for him by asking: "What do you have to lose?"
Blakeman's implicit thesis was that New York can't get any worse than it is right now. He pointed to skyrocketing utility bills, New York's relatively high taxes, and the challenges facing farmers as evidence of this—and in his telling, it's all Governor Kathy Hochul's fault.
Hochul's task was to defend her record—connecting New York's economic issues to the federal government's tariffs, wars, and funding cuts—and to prove that New Yorkers have a fair bit to lose if they elect the Republican who is pro-data center, pro-Trump, and pro-ICE.
A taste of the tenor:
Hochul: "Everything has happened under your friend Donald Trump, you are the president of the fan club for Donald Trump. It's absurd how adoring you are of him. My gosh!"
Blakeman: "You like to talk about Donald Trump all the time, because you don't want to talk about your record: It's a record of misery and failure." Blakeman then added that while Trump has endorsed him, so have Democrats Bonnie Lautenberg and actor Debra Messing.
Hochul barbed back: "So you've got two votes. Good for you."