Deep divisions on view in NY-27 debate as candidates stick to party lines

Oct. 21--For more than an hour on Wednesday, the trio of contenders for New York's 27th Congressional District fielded tough questions from a panel during the St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute annual debate -- each sticking to party positions less than two weeks before Election Day.

It was only after the debate, when Libertarian candidate Duane Whitmer questioned Democrat Nate McMurray's lawsuit against the company owned by the family of incumbent Republican Chris Jacobs, that the affair took on a new tone. In one of the few occasions the minor party candidate has faced microphones and notebooks, Whitmer questioned if McMurray is suing Delaware North Cos. -- the Democrat's former employer -- to cast a negative focus on Jacobs just before voters go to the polls.

McMurray's answer: "No comment."

On Tuesday, McMurray sued Delaware North, charging that his former employer pressured him not to run for Congress against Jacobs, the nephew of the company's chairman.

"McMurray [a former Delaware North vice president] was discriminated against because of his political activities," the lawsuit alleges. "McMurray was placed on unpaid leave because he ran a political campaign against a member of the Jacobs family.

But McMurray, a lawyer, would not answer reporters' questions about the litigation's timing (no questions were posed about its merits), claiming he could not discuss a matter now before a court.

"I'm not going to talk about it," he said. "I'll let the facts speak for themselves."

That exchange over the politics of the election came after a debate in which candidates reiterated their well-documented positions. Indeed, McMurray is finishing his third run for the post in the last two years, narrowly losing to former Rep. Chris Collins in 2018 and to Jacobs in a June special election.

But on Wednesday, Jacobs doubled down on his support for President Trump and his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, saying the president had done a "good job" in closing the nation to China and "saving hundreds of thousands of lives."

"Is it perfect? Absolutely not," Jacobs said, adding the "global community has not gotten this right."

But McMurray jumped on the Jacobs view, labeling Trump's reaction to the crisis a "historic fiasco."

"He lied to us," McMurray said of the president. "He knew how dangerous it was."

Responding to a question about tackling the federal deficit, Jacobs called it "unfortunate" that Washington did not address the issue before Covid-19 issues forced the government to spend more and sink even deeper into debt.

"After Covid, our major task will be to bring down the deficit," he said. "We have to look at each agency and see how to do things more efficiently."

McMurray retorted with a jab at the Trump tax cuts that he said have pushed the government into "financial shambles."

"Under President Trump we've given 85% of the benefits to 1% of the people," he said. "He's given all his friends more money."

The two major candidates may have shown their deepest divisions on health care issues. McMurray again noted the United States remains one of the few major nations lacking universal health care. He said a single payer system does not represent "socialized health care, " and that he will work with a President Biden to find a way to provide it.

Jacobs, meanwhile, said that what McMurray proposes is socialized medicine.

"We need to improve on the system we have," he said, without offering specifics.

Other highlights included:

--Jacobs said he does not favor legalizing marijuana; both his opponents say they do.

--Jacobs said his longtime involvement in urban education (including establishing a scholarship fund for poor children to attend private schools) demonstrates his commitment to ending systemic racism, while McMurray blamed Republican Trump for letting "racism sneak into this country."

--On abortion, Jacobs said he was "pro-life" and that he voted against a "radical bill" while in the State Senate allowing for late-term abortions. McMurray later chastised him for changing his position on abortion, while reiterating he views Roe vs. Wade as "established law."

"You can fight against it," he said, "but again [illegal] abortion will happen in this country. We have to make it safe and available."

Unlike the recent faceoff between Trump and Biden in Cleveland, nobody shouted, nobody interrupted the other candidates, and insults and name-calling never happened.

It all prompted moderator and government teacher Ted Lina to pronounce it "a wonderful exchange of ideas."

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