UPDATE: Mayor Bill de Blasio called out Gov. Cuomo for suggesting during tonight's debate that the state doesn't run the MTA.
The state runs the MTA. @NYGovCuomo knows this. I know he’s really bad at it — every New Yorker does — but he can’t just pretend it’s not his fault because it’s election time.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) August 30, 2018
ORIGINAL POST
As expected, the New York Democratic primary debate between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Cynthia Nixon on Wednesday was a scorcher. The two battled over everything from health care and public unions, to the state of the New York subway system.
That last topic produced some heated exchanges like this:
DEBATE PREVIEW - #CynthiaNixon raises the state's role in managing the #MTA, #AndrewCuomo challenges back: "Can you stop interrupting?" https://t.co/MNlFqt1dyf #HofstraVotes #CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/gbyWwHV5KY
— CBS New York (@CBSNewYork) August 29, 2018
“Can you stop interrupting,” Cuomo asked.
“Can you stop lying,” Nixon responded.
“As soon as you do,” Cuomo said.
The bickering continued:
“The state can’t fund the MTA without the city” Cuomo said. “If the city does 50-50, I will do it.”
“Talk about so many lies,” Nixon repeated.
At one point, Cuomo suggested that Nixon lived in a world of “fiction rather than facts.” While she has a history of advocating on behalf of progressive issues, the governor has enacted real change, he said.
“The government is not about politics, it’s not about advocacy; it’s about doing," Cuomo said. "It’s about management. This is real life."
“Experience doesn’t mean that much if you’re not actually good at governing,” Nixon quipped.
The former "Sex and the City" actress also called Cuomo "corrupt" on occasion.
“We already have a corrupt corporate Republican in the White House,” Nixon said. “We don’t need a corrupt corporate Democrat in Albany as his main opposition.”
Apparently the sparks were flying online as well, with Cuomo's team mocking Nixon on Twitter.
This is Cuomo’s top aide, Melissa De Rosa, and his campaign spokesperson, Lis Smith, repeatedly calling Cynthia Nixon “unhinged.”
— Tom Namako (@TomNamako) August 29, 2018
De Rosa’s first tweet to this effect came right around when Nixon called Cuomo a “liar.”#NYGovDebate pic.twitter.com/prhAzvWcFn
This will be the only debate between Cuomo and Nixon. The gubernatorial primary will be held Sept. 13.