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“I’m back’: Candidate Lhota Reverts to Form

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NYC Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota on the day after his second debate with Bill deBlasio
NYC Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota on the day after his second debate with Bill deBlasio
Joe Lhota is sick of his script. I mean, he talks a good game, but boy, he can’t get even get into the first inning, because once you go past and ask any type of a detailed question, it’s blah blah blah blah blah,” Lhota told reporters after addressing the annual conference of the Building Owners and Managers Association at the 101 Club, referring to Bill de Blasio.

Also, “I want to remind everybody that he worked for the biggest failure of a mayor that’s ever hit the shores of the City of New York. David Dinkins was an abysmal failure right from the get-go.”

With just 13 days left until the election, de Blasio is leading his Republican rival by more than 40 points, an advantage that appears insurmountable and that even Lhota said, during his remarks, is a “huge margin.”

On Tuesday evening, October 22, Lhota appeared to depart from his talking points and newfound candidate-message discipline in a way he arguably hasn’t since shortly before he quit his last job to run for office.

“After snoozing through the first debate, Lhota finally showed up yesterday, landing a few hard shots and forcing de Blasio to engage,” wrote Harry Siegel in the Daily News, of Tuesday night’s debate.

On Wednesday morning, Lhota argued, perhaps unwisely, that de Blasio was fronting his (wildly popular) family to mask a lack of issue-based substance.

Later today, I asked him what prompted the change.

“Didn’t you miss me, Dana?” he responded. “I’m back.”

Where did you go?

“I don’t know, I don’t know, but I realized, I realized that I have to be … I went into the debate last night loose, not worried, wanted to have a conversation with my opponent, with the people at home sitting watching television,” he said. “And that’s what I did. I prepared for the issues, but I prepared to do what I’ve done my entire life—speak my mind, don’t anybody put words in my mouth, and just get the issues out there.”

Isn’t it a bit late for that?

“Hey, I got 13 days,” he said. “Watch, let’s see how I do. I think I’m gonna win. I feel positive. … Look, if Papi can get a grand slam in last week’s game up in Boston, so can I.”

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