Five takeaways from the first New York City Democratic mayoral debate
CNN
The New York City Democratic mayoral primary has been playing out in the shadows -- of the Covid-19 pandemic, of President Joe Biden's first months in office, and former President Donald Trump's corrosive election lie.
But on Thursday night, the eight leading Democratic candidates to succeed the outgoing, term-limited Mayor Bill de Blasio finally received top billing at their first official debate. Though they shared the spotlight, they did not share a stage, as the gathering took place over Zoom -- which squeezed some of the juice out of the evening's more heated exchanges. Businessman and former 2020 Democratic presidential primary candidate Andrew Yang, Brooklyn borough president and former police officer Eric Adams, civil rights lawyer and former de Blasio counsel Maya Wiley, former nonprofit executive Dianne Morales, former New York Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia -- fresh off her endorsement by the New York Times Editorial Board -- New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and ex-Citigroup executive Ray McGuire all took part -- Hollywood Squares-style -- in the two-hour debate.More Related News