October 21, 2021
Mayoral hopefuls Eric Adams (D) and Curtis Sliwa (R) faced off in an hour long televised debate last night on Channel 4. Having won the Democratic Primary back in June, Adams was already favored to win the general because Democrats outnumber Republicans 2:1 here. Sliwa needed a knockout to win this match up, but he never laid a glove on Adams during their debate. Moderators also outnumbered candidates onstage 2:1 and handily kept them on track by limiting most replies to a minute and accepting only yes or no answers to many questions.
Sliwa’s game plan was apparent from the start: ruffle Adams and make him lose his cool. Adams, for his part, implied that Sliwa wasn’t a serious person, let alone potential Mayor. This dynamic held for the duration, and the only minor sparks flew when the mods had to shut Sliwa down for going over his time, failing to answer a yes or no, or just speechifying off the topic. None of that helped Sliwa or hurt Adams.
Overall, Adams conveyed confidence and empathy in an almost eerily serene manner that suggested he’d be a steady hand at the wheel. Sliwa also displayed abundant confidence and empathy, but his delivery was far more animated. Even his body language played at a much higher volume than Adams, who barely moved at all.
Photo: TV Screencap.
Top photo: Sliwa at the Dominican Day Parade, 8/8/21.