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Andrew Cuomo, Marc Molinaro trade barbs in heated debate

The two squared off in the WCBS studio in Manhattan with no audience, seated at a news desk and separated only by moderators.

NEW YORK - Near the end of Tuesday's fiery debate between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican challenger Marc Molinaro, moderator Marcia Kramer had enough.

"Don't make me punch you out," the WCBS-TV reporter said to Cuomo as he bargained for more time to respond.

So went the first and only scheduled debate between Cuomo, a Democrat, and Molinaro, the Dutchess County executive.

They repeatedly and directly challenged one another on issues ranging from corruption to taxes to President Donald Trump as the debate moderators struggled — and often failed — to maintain control.

Cuomo took an aggressive posture with his Republican opponent, who is heavily trailing in the polls, often interrupting and bending the debate's time limits to his advantage as he directly challenged Molinaro on conservative-minded issues.

The hastily scheduled, hourlong debate will air on television at 7 p.m. on most CBS affiliates in New York, including WROC in Rochester, WBNG in Binghamton and WCBS in New York City.

It will also be broadcast on tape delay at cbsnewyork.com and wcbs880.radio.com.

The two squared off in the WCBS studio in Manhattan with no audience, seated at a news desk and separated only by moderators Kramer and WCBS-AM anchor Rich Lamb.

Trump talk of debate

At several points, Cuomo tried to tie Molinaro directly to Trump, calling him a Trump "acolyte" and "mini-me" and repeatedly asking whether he supports the president. “Do you support Donald Trump?" Cuomo said as Molinaro began to discuss the president's economic policies. "Do you support Donald Trump? Do you support Donald Trump?”

"Let’s get out of this conversation," said Molinaro, who has previously said he did not vote for Trump in 2016. He accused Cuomo of "interrupting me every time I've spoken."

Cuomo charged Molinaro is part of "this extreme conservative, divisive cancer that you have brought to this state with Washington."

He cited a bill Molinaro supported as a state assemblyman that would have allowed female prisoners to be shackled during child birth.

Molinaro has said he only supported the measure to ensure the safety of guards and hospital staff if a prisoner was violent.

But Cuomo charged Republicans "put children in cages in Washington, and you shackle women to gurneys in New York."

Molinaro responded, "I do not, sir. And you know better than that."

Debating corruption

Molinaro attempted to press Cuomo on corruption within his administration, noting scandals surrounding the Buffalo Billion economic-development program that ended with Joseph Percoco, Cuomo's one-time best friend and top aide, convicted of accepting more than $300,000 in bribes from companies with business before the state.

Former SUNY Polytechnic Institute President Alain Kaloyeros was also convicted of steering more than $800 million in public funds in Buffalo in a bid-rigging scandal.

"This is what is stealing from taxpayers," Molinaro said.

"You have allowed individuals in this administration to defraud taxpayers. And anywhere else in America, no governor could possibly be running for re-election."

Cuomo in turn accused Molinaro of kickbacks, pointing to Molinaro's wife's former job with Tinkelman Bros., a Dutchess County developer who received tax breaks from the Dutchess County Industrial Development Authority and contracts from the county.

"Yes, people in my administration made a mistake," Cuomo said to Molinaro.

"They went to jail. Your County Legislature is calling for an investigation on you for kickbacks and perjury — where you gave contracts to a vendor, and then a family member got a job, and they got another contract."

Molinaro said the claims were not true.

Speaking to reporters after the debate, Molinaro said all of Tinkelman's contracts were competitively bid and not issued out of favoritism.

Who can fix the trains?

The two candidates also battled over the New York City transit system, with Cuomo saying he has invested an unmatched amount of money into the ailing subways. Molinaro said Cuomo has failed to improve the system.

"You have never seen a governor take more responsibility for the MTA than I have," Cuomo said.

But Molinaro said, "Your MTA costs five and six times more to lay a mile of track than it does anywhere else in the world, which means we are wasting dollars and the savings need to go back into the system."

The debate largely focused on statewide issues and those focused on New York City.

One question focused squarely on western New York: Both candidates declined to pledge financial support for a new football stadium for the Buffalo Bills.

The lack of questions about upstate drew jeers from some groups in the region.

"There was no specific discussion about upstate's declining population, the state’s job-killing business climate or crumbling local roads and bridges," the business group Unshackle Upstate said, urging for their to be an upstate-focused debate.

The lighting round

Tuesday's debate was Cuomo's second in two months.

In late August, he debated Democratic rival Cynthia Nixon, the Sex and the City star, at Hofstra University on Long Island.

He easily defeated Nixon in the Sept. 13 primary.

Public-opinion polls have shown Molinaro trailing Cuomo significantly in deep-blue New York, and Cuomo has heavily outspent Molinaro on ads.

But Molinaro has embraced his role: He wore a pin of the cartoon character Underdog during the debate.

Tuesday's debate took a bizarre turn toward the end of the hourlong affair.

The candidates were asked a series of rapid-fire, lighthearted questions.

They were asked about their preferences for sausage (Italian or kielbasa, Cuomo said), whether Dutchess County is upstate or downstate (It's where they meet, Molinaro said) and what song personified them.

Cuomo said "Empire State of Mind."

Molinaro, "Don't Stop Believin'."

Both candidates declined to sing a few bars.

What's next?

This is likely the only debate Cuomo will participate in before Election Day, Nov. 6.

Even Tuesday's debate was rushed together.

Cuomo and Molinaro agreed to participate earlier this week after several days of unusually public, will-they-or-won't-they negotiations over the terms of the debate, who will participate and how it will air.

The debate featured the two major-party candidates for governor, a move that angered the three third-party candidates on the November ballot: Larry Sharpe of the Libertarian Party, Stephanie Miner of the Serve America Movement and Howie Hawkins of the Green Party.

“Cuomo has enough accomplices in the media to know that he can dictate the debates — he decides whether or not there is a debate and even who gets to be included," Sharpe said in a statement.

The state League of Women Voters, meanwhile, invited all five candidates to its Nov. 1 debate in Albany.

Four candidates have accepted so far — everyone but Cuomo.

"Although we are pleased to see the governor agree to debate (Tuesday), we feel that including only two of the five gubernatorial candidates is a disservice to voters," Jennifer Wilson, the league's legislative director, said in a statement.

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