NY mayoral candidates are taking the campaign trail to a new venue: the state capital, the New York State Capitol, where they will hold a rally and rally at 9 p.m.
Tuesday.
The race between New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and former state assemblyman John Liu will feature a mix of progressive, establishment, and centrist candidates, according to Bloomberg News.
Liu is expected to face off against de Blasio, who has spent the past week making a case to voters that he is the best candidate to bring New York’s economy back from the brink of collapse.
The two candidates have come out against gun control, police brutality, and a host of other social issues.
De Blasio is the incumbent in the race, and has already spent the week on the campaign stump in New York, a state he lost in November.
During his rally, Liu will emphasize his efforts to create jobs and rebuild schools.
“I’m not a politician,” Liu told reporters.
“I’m a businessman.
I’m a father, I’m an entrepreneur.
I think New Yorkers know the challenges we face.
And they want somebody who will help them to do the right thing.”
DeBlasio is an urban policy wonk who served as mayor of New York for more than five years before joining the state legislature in 2014.
A former hedge fund manager and businesswoman, he also served as the state attorney general and has previously been a critic of police brutality and mass incarceration.
He has spent months raising money for Liu, and is expected continue to do so.
In an interview with Bloomberg News earlier this month, Liu said he plans to spend at least $10 million on the race.
On Wednesday, de Blasio told reporters that he plans on spending more than $1 million in the first week of the campaign.
But the campaign is expected, like Liu’s, to focus on policy.
“[Liu] is a great candidate and I think he’s going to bring a lot of ideas and people who are going to talk about these things,” de Blasio said.
With the city’s economy in free fall and many residents worried about their jobs, deBlasio has also called for a crackdown on tax loopholes for corporations and wealthy people, and for a tax increase on the wealthiest Americans.
New York City has one of the most progressive taxes in the country, which deBlacio argues would create good jobs.
However, de Blasio has not taken a stance on the police brutality issue, which he has called a “black hole” for the city.
It’s also possible that Liu’s campaign will focus on the issues of racial inequality and police brutality.
Last week, Liu told Bloomberg News that de Blasio’s “socialist agenda” is an issue of the past, and that his “political ideology is no longer about jobs.”
The New York Times reported that deBlancheys campaign is focusing on economic issues and social justice, and it will focus heavily on the issue of gun control.
As Bloomberg News pointed out, “Liu has been critical of the mayor for months and has criticized his efforts as a result.
He has also pushed back on the mayor’s claims that he will not raise taxes to help fund schools and police, saying he has proposed no new taxes in a bid to bring in more money.”
Liang is not the only candidate to take part in a rally at the state capitol.
Former Democratic state assemblywoman and mayoral candidate Catherine E. Lamborn is also scheduled to speak at a rally with de Blasio at 8 p.am.
She has spent much of her time on the trail over the past few weeks, campaigning on her message of making New York more accessible, including the opening of new public transportation options.
Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, Mayor Bill DeBlasio will take part at a 10:30 a.m.-11:30 p.meters rally in front of the Brooklyn Public Library.
At this time, the rally will be free, but attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and food for the rally.
[Photo via Twitter]