BUFFALO — Rob Astorino and Gov. Cuomo mixed it up in a nasty debate Wednesday — with the challenger suggesting the governor could face indictment and Cuomo accusing his opponent of fostering racial discrimination.  Cuomo and Astorino, along with two minor candidates — Green Party hopeful Howie Hawkins and Libertarian Michael McDermott — shared the stage in the one-hour televised debate from Buffalo. The jabs started quickly.  Astorino, the Republican challenger, went on the attack over the scandal surrounding Cuomo’s handling of his anti-corruption commission, which has resulted in a federal investigation.  “He is swimming in a cesspool of corruption,” Astorino said.  Astorino added that Cuomo, a Democrat seeking a second term, “may very well be indicted after Election Day comes and goes for witness tampering, obstruction of justice, failure to report crimes.”  He asked the governor: “If you would talk to the people, directly tell them the truth, raise your right hand, swear that neither you nor your staff has been subpoenaed by the U.S attorney in regards to the Moreland Commission scandal.”  Cuomo never answered. He called Astorino’s charges “outrageous” and steadfastly denied any interference with the panel. He said he pulled the plug on its probes after nine months because the Legislature gave him what he wanted — ethics reform.  The governor then tried to turn the tables on Astorino, claiming it was the Republican who’s in trouble with federal prosecutors over a long-running housing dispute in Westchester. He accused Astorino, the county executive, of supporting racially discriminatory housing policies in the county.  “When a U.S. attorney says you’ve done numerous false and misleading statements, that is federal speak for ‘you’re lying,’” Cuomo said.  Astorino called Cuomo’s comments “despicable.”  “When he throws out the race card, it is because he has no ideas,” Astorino said.  The Buffalo News and WNED-TV sponsored the debate, which included Juan Gonzalez of the Daily News as one of the three panelists asking questions.  Trailing badly in the polls and with no other televised debates scheduled — Cuomo has refused Astorino's demand for more encounters — Astorino tried to put the incumbent on the defensive at almost every turn.  The Republican repeatedly rejected Cuomo’s suggestion the state is better off than it was four years ago.  While Cuomo cited lower corporate and personal tax rates and 511,000 new jobs, Astorino painted a picture of a state in decline.  “New York is losing — and we’re losing badly,” he said.  He called for more tax cuts and term limits “to clean up the corruption of the Andrew Cuomo administration.”  Astorino accused Cuomo of engaging in massive corporate welfare in exchange for big political donations. He said the state has handed out $21 billion in tax credits while Cuomo padded his campaign war chest.  He reiterated his central campaign theme that the state has the highest taxes in the country, the worst business climate and an “anemic” economic recovery.  Cuomo said taxes on the middle class and corporations are at their lowest levels in decades. He also portrayed Astorino as an “ultra-conservative” whose policies would benefit the rich and discriminate against women and minorities.  And he hit Astorino’s credibility, saying he failed to deliver on promises he made to cut taxes by 20%. Instead, the county has the highest property taxes in the country and its credit rating was downgraded, Cuomo said.  “Rhetoric’s fine; facts are better,” he said.  Astorino also attacked Cuomo over the state’s Common Core curriculum, calling it “Cuomo’s Common Core.”  Cuomo scoffed, saying he was not involved in implementing the curriculum.  “I understand desperate candidates, but there still has to be some credibility,” he said.  Cuomo got hit from the left and right for his delay in deciding whether to approve hydrofracking in the state’s southern tier.  Hawkins vowed to ban hydrofracking and pitched what he called a “Green New Deal” that also included a raise in the minimum wage and a single-payer health care system.  McDermott said Republicans and Democrats were both to blame for New York’s woes.  “This time vote libertarian. What do you have to lose?” McDermott said.  ON A MOBILE DEVICE? CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO.  Kenneth Lovett is in Albany.
GOP challenger Rob Astorino hit Gov. Cuomo hard in a gubernatorial debate Wednesday night over the state of New York’s economy, taxes and his handling of a state anti-corruption commission.