Before the latest Quinnipiac Poll dished up more bad news for his mayoral dream, Republican Joe Lhota promised to take the fight to Democrat Bill de Blasio in Tuesday TV debate.
Our Erin Durkin and I report:
“I will have a different tone. Yes. I’m not going to say any more,” Lhota told reporters after chatting up voters midday at a senior center in Borough Park.
“Look, I’m going to be able to talk about my viewpoints and I’m going to be able to present who I believe Bill de Blasio is,” he continued. “And unlike Bill, I’m going to tell the truth about who he instead of him making up stories about who I am and who I’m affiliated with. And I’ll get that point across.”
Lhota, facing what Quinnipiac’s Maurice Carroll pronounced an insurmountable de Blasio lead, insisted, “I will make sure that the people know what I believe to be and how dangerous Bill de Blasio will be as mayor when it comes to crime and crime reduction and pushing us backwards.”
The two
at WABC studios:
, Lhota went after de Blasio as an untested manager running a divisive campaign, but de Blasio returned fire, tying his foe to the national GOP and the Tea Party.
De Blasio and Lhota meet for their second debate, broadcast on CBS 2, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, and will meet a final time on Oct. 29 in a broadcast to appear on NBC 4.
A de Blasio rep declined comment on Lhota’s remarks.
As for the Q poll itself, which came out several hours later, the former MTA boss brushed it off in advance: “You know, I’m not worried about Quinnipiac polls. Their veracity is always questionable.”
Lhota said he’s getting help from the state GOP with his race, and also brushed off critical comments about the energy level of his campaign from Isaac Abraham, an activist in Williamsburg’s Orthodox Jewish community,
.
“People who want to talk about my campaign who know nothing about it… you get what you pay for. There’s nothing there,” Lhota said to a question about his outreach to Orthodox voters.
(As it turned out, Abraham was standing a few yards down the block, waiting, and approached Lhota as the candidate was getting ready to hop into his SUV. The two exchanged a few quick words.)
At the Young At Heart Senior Club, Lhota — whose staffers came equipped with trays of cookies for the target audience — strolled from table to table with City Council hopeful John Quaglione, who cradled his young daughter in his arms.
IMAGE: TODD MAISEL/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
