Mayor Bill de Blasio, 2 rivals, to square off in Tuesday debate
From left, Nicole Malliotakis, Bo Dietl and Mayor Bill de Blasio will face off in a mayoral debate Tuesday night. Credit: Newsday
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will share the debate stage Tuesday night with two rivals gunning for his job — Republican mayoral hopeful Nicole Malliotakis, and independent candidate Bo Dietl — in the first mayoral debate of the election.
De Blasio, who holds a wide lead over his opponents in polls and fundraising, will defend his first-term record against two challengers who for months have cast the Democratic incumbent as an ineffective manager more concerned with raising his national profile than tending to local issues.
De Blasio has frequently dismissed their criticisms, saying he is not running for national office but focused on winning a second term as mayor. A Quinnipiac Poll released Thursday found 61 percent of likely voters said they would vote for de Blasio, compared with 17 percent for Malliotakis, and 6 percent for Dietl.
In a statement, Dan Levitan, de Blasio’s campaign spokesman, said the incumbent is “looking forward to discussing [his] record of achievement . . . and how important it is for New Yorkers to turn out to vote for a mayor who will stand up to” President Donald Trump.
Malliotakis, an assemblywoman from Staten Island, prepared for the matchup all weekend and held a mock debate session Monday afternoon, according to her campaign aides.
“Assemb. Nicole Malliotakis is prepared to go toe-to-toe with Bill de Blasio. She will call him out on issues like our failing subway system, the homeless crisis, and schools that don’t educate and are unsafe,” said Malliotakis’ campaign spokesman, Rob Ryan. “When the debate is over, New Yorkers will understand why Bill de Blasio should be a one-term mayor.”
Dietl, a former NYPD detective who is running as an independent after a failed attempt to compete as a Republican, took aim at de Blasio on Twitter Monday, writing: “I’m coming for you Big Bird,” referring to his nickname for the 6-foot, 5-inch mayor.
The debate is scheduled to run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and will take place at Symphony Space on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
The event will air on cable news channel NY1 and on public radio station WNYC 93.9 FM, and via livestream on WNYC.org.
Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.
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