Bill de Blasio, the current front-runner in New York City's mayoral race, was the target in the bulk of the attacks Wednesday as seven Democratic candidates went head-to-head in their third debate.
De Blasio, who serves as the city's public advocate, went up against Christine Quinn, John Liu, Bill Thompson, Anthony Weiner, Sal Albanese and Erick Salgado at the televised debate.
De Blasio's two closest competitors, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and ex-comptroller Bill Thompson, made several sharp attacks against him during the debate.
"The public advocate is good at telling people what to do but not good at getting things done," said Quinn.
"Would the real Bill de Blasio please stand up?" asked Thompson, reports the Huffington Post.
A Quinnipiac poll released last week, revealed that De Blasio is the front-runner, for the first time topping Thompson and Quinn who led in the polls most of the year. Recent polls suggest it will be a three-person race for two run-off spots.
The police stop-and-frisk policy, and other complaints that police unfairly target minorities, repeatedly emerged as a flashpoint in the 90-minute debate, which became fiesty at times.
Quinn also took the opportunity to comment on what she believed was a subliminal attack from de Blasio's wife about her being a lesbian without children.
De Blasio's wife, Chirlane McCray, was quoted in The New York Times saying the speaker, who's vying to be the first female and first openly gay mayor, was "not the kind of person" to whom she'd feel comfortable talking about issues affecting women and children.
The de Blasio camp insisted McCray was misquoted. The Times later corrected its story. But Quinn said she believed the "sentiment was the same" in a longer quote.
"It made me sad," Quinn said at the debate.
In response, De Blasio argued that his wife only meant that she disagreed with Quinn's policies and intended no personal insult. "It's very clear," he said. "My wife meant no offense. She was talking about substantive issues, and she disagreed with Speaker Quinn's approach," reports CBS New York.
The primaries will take place on Sept. 10, with runoffs scheduled for Oct. 1 if necessary. The general election will be held Nov. 5.
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