Democratic mayoral hopeful Bill de Blasio has talked a lot about his family over the course of the campaign — but on Wednesday it was Republican Joe Lhota who put the spotlight on the family.
“He’s using his family because he has no policies,” Lhota, who’s down more than 40 points in the polls, said on Fox’s “Good Day New York“.
“He has a wonderful family and he uses that to get across that he’s a nice guy,” Lhota added. “Listen, being a nice guy doesn’t make you anywhere close to what you need to be as mayor.”
De Blasio has featured each of his two kids in separate campaign commercials, while his wife, Chirlane McCray, has been out with him at numerous campaign stops.
Lhota conceded that his own family was “very reserved,” which is why they haven’t been seen much with him as he tries to round up votes.
Asked on “Good Day” whether de Blasio was politicizing his multi-racial family, Lhota said he wouldn’t go that far.
“He has a wonderful family… Great. This is a campaign about the future of New York, not about your children,” he said. “It is about everybody else’s children, making sure that they’re safe, making sure that they’ve got the best possible education programs.”
Coming off a feisty appearance at the second of three televised debates, Lhota added, “Once you get past Bill de Blasio’s lofty words, there’s nothing there.”
The GOP nominee continued to defend his hard-hitting commercial warning that de Blasio’s crime policies would put the city at risk, which de Blasio and others have blasted as “fear-mongering” and even “race-baiting.”
Lhota also characterized his rival’s pre-kindergarten plan – funded by a tax hike on wealthy New Yorkers that requires Albany OK – as “delusional” because Gov. Cuomo has made it clear he won’t enact a tax increase next year.