This column originally appeared in The Politics Brief, our weekly newsletter on the people, power and policies that shape New Yorkers’ lives.<\/p>\n
Sign up<\/a> to get the full version where you can ask questions, share news tips and weigh in on the conversation. Hits inboxes on Wednesdays.<\/p>\n New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wasted no time in bringing up President Donald Trump as she attacked her Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman in their only debate.<\/p>\n But it took more than 40 minutes for Blakeman to mention the bogeyman who helped him cruise to re-election last year<\/a> as Nassau County executive: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.<\/p>\n Chapin Fay, a spokesperson for Strong and Safe New York, a super PAC backing Blakeman, said it comes down to popularity.<\/p>\n \u201cMayor Mamdani is one of the most popular politicians on planet Earth. Kathy Hochul, who is notably not, is trying to tie herself to the mayor,\u201d Fay said. \u201cWhy would Blakeman do the job for her?\u201d<\/p>\n A Siena University poll released last month<\/a> found 46% of likely voters around the state viewed Mamdani favorably, compared to 48% for Hochul, 35% for Blakeman and 34% for Trump.<\/p>\n During an hourlong debate hosted by Spectrum News and broadcast around the state, Hochul and Blakeman clashed over data centers, immigration policy and state spending.<\/p>\n The democratic socialist mayor\u2019s name came up fewer than 10 times. Trump, by contrast, was mentioned more than 50 times.<\/p>\n \u201cI did not wrap myself in the shroud of Donald Trump the way you did,\u201d Hochul charged Blakeman at one point.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, you wrapped it in Zohran Mamdani,\u201d Blakeman replied.<\/p>\n \u201cWho Donald Trump actually thinks is a great mayor,\u201d Hochul retorted, a reference to multiple positive joint appearances<\/a> between the president and the mayor.<\/p>\n Blakeman said he didn\u2019t bring up Mamdani earlier because he wasn\u2019t asked about him.<\/p>\n The county executive went on to call Mamdani an antisemite, but complimented him for keeping Jessica Tisch in place as NYPD commissioner. Mamdani, who has been fiercely critical of Israel\u2019s conduct in Gaza, said Blakeman\u2019s attacks were racist. The mayor has appeared with Jewish leaders and repeatedly denounced antisemitic vandalism and other crimes.<\/p>\n Hochul, a moderate, rejected Blakeman\u2019s characterization and called Mamdani \u201ca partner.\u201d She said the two are planning to campaign together.<\/p>\n \u201cI invited him to watch a Buffalo Bills game with me like we did last year,\u201d said Hochul, an Erie County native. \u201cGiven that the Bills are looking so good these days, I think he’d enjoy the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n We want to hear from you<\/p>\n Did the governor\u2019s debate change your mind about who will get your vote?<\/p>\n We’ll share responses in next week’s newsletter. (Sign up<\/a>!)<\/p>\n This week in New York politicsAn ICE agent shot a man in the neck<\/a> in Marble Hill last week. Several people were arrested for protesting<\/a> after the incident, and Mayor Mamdani criticized<\/a> ICE\u2019s tactics as reckless, saying the ICE agent could have been easily mistaken for a mass shooter. The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America is also pressuring Mamdani to fire Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch if ICE doesn’t leave New York City<\/a>.The City Council and Mamdani announced they plan to ban carriage horses in Central Park<\/a>.As he faces mounting criticism from the left for his approach to policing, Mayor Mamdani announced a comprehensive review of the NYPD\u2019s use of force policies<\/a>.MTA Chair Janno Lieber accused Andy Byford, who is leading Amtrak\u2019s Penn Station rebuild, of going \u201cfull MAGA.\u201d<\/a>New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said that her administration uncovered about 1,100 additional problematic voter registrations during its probe of the state\u2019s automatic voter registration system<\/a>.Members of Cornell University’s student government say they officially alerted administrators to a growing culture of sexual assault and drugging within the school’s fraternities two years before a student known in legal filings as Jane Doe reported that she was gang raped at a campus fraternity house, and that their warning fell on deaf ears<\/a>.Here\u2019s how Rebecca Bennett, a Democrat running for Congress in a traditionally red New Jersey district, is trying to woo Republican voters<\/a>.Join us for a conversation on the expansion of the Second Avenue subway<\/p>\n The long-promised expansion of the Second Avenue subway was intended to address a long-standing transit gap in East Harlem. But as construction advances, the project has also exposed a deeper tension between infrastructure investment and displacement.<\/p>\n Join WNYC\u2019s \u201cNYC Now\u201d and the transit team on Thursday, Oct. 22, for a live podcast and community conversation with residents, business owners and MTA officials.<\/p>\n This is the fourth event in a five-part live community series focused on New York City\u2019s affordability crisis. \u201cIn Conversation: The Affordability Series\u201d brings New Yorkers together across lines of income, identity and experience to explore how the affordability crisis affects their lives \u2014 and where shared interests can lead to deeper understanding and solutions.<\/p>\n When: Thursday, Oct. 22. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the event starts at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n Where: CCCADI Il\u00e9 Oyin, 208 East 126th St., NY, NY 10035<\/p>\n