By Jill Colvin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
CITY HALL — Attorney general candidates Eric Schneiderman and Dan Donovan butted heads again Monday, with Donovan slamming the Democratic state senator as an Albany insider while Schneiderman painted the Republican Staten Island district attorney as Wall Street's puppet.
Facing each other eight days before the November election, as Schneiderman's lead over Donovan narrowed in the polls, tensions at the WAMC studios in Albany were high.
An unusually aggressive Donovan portrayed Schneiderman as part of the Albany problem, and criticized him for not doing more to stamp out corruption as state Senator.
"The reforms that my opponent claims to be a leader of haven’t worked," Donovan said.
He pressed Schneiderman on the findings of a recent report by Inspector General Joseph Fisch, which detailed a litany of abuse regarding the state senator's handling of a controversial deal to build a racino at the Aquaduct track. Schneiderman has denied any knowledge of what he described as "horrendous" allegations.
"I don’t know what’s worse," Donovan said. "Knowing that something’s going on and not doing anything about it" or being "asleep at the wheel."
Schneiderman, meanwhile, fought back, selling himself as a progressive activist who will use the attorney general’s office as a stage for pushing reform.
"I’m running to be the people’s lawyer, to stand up to powerful interests," he said, adding that he didn't think "that a passive 'go along, get along' approach" is what New Yorkers want.
He also knocked Donovan for being too close to Wall Street and criticized him for having received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from a single hedge fund executive.
Donovan defended the contributions, assuring voters that they would not impact his command.
"I don’t know any rich people," he said, after opening the debate by describing himself as the son of a longshoreman and a factory worker who worked his way through school.
He said the donors who have bankrolled his campaign are the rich friends of people like Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has been a strong supporter of Donovan's. Several Donovan supporters, including Bloomberg, former Democratic Mayor Ed Koch, former Gov. George Pataki and N.J. Gov. Chris Christie gathered in Manhattan Monday night for a fundraiser for the candidate.
In addition to weighing on other topics, including gay marriage (Schneiderman is for, Donovan is against) and defending a woman’s right to choose (Schneiderman is pro choice, Donovan is not), the two were asked whether they have any skeletons in their closets — specifically, if voters should expect any November surprises along the lines of the revelations in 2008 that former attorney general and ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer has been frequenting a prostitution ring.
"Nothing," Donovan assured.
"Me neither. And I believe Dan on this one," Schneiderman joked.
