The race between Max Rose and Nicole Malliotakis has been nasty.

And their attacks at their NY1 debate this week likely left some voters wondering what’s true and what’s not.

What You Need To Know

  • Malliotakis says Rose wants to defund the police

  • Rose says Malliotakis supports raising property taxes

  • Neither attack is true, according to NY1 factcheck

“Max Rose not only marched with the Defund the Police crowd," Malliotakis said. "He went to Washington and actually voted to defund the police. You may be familiar with a police officer named Eddie Byrne.”

It’s true that Rose attended a rally for George Floyd, the Black man killed after police kneeled on his neck.

And it’s true that he voted for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

It’s false that the Democratic congressman voted to defund the police.

The legislation named for Floyd made the Edward Byrne memorial grant conditional.

It did not eliminate it.

Rose has voted to increase Byrne grants and secure other law enforcement funding.

“When my country went to war in Afghanistan, I put on the uniform," Rose says in one ad. "When Bill de Blasio tried to defund the police, I stood up and said it was 100 percent wrong.”

Rose and Malliotakis are competing for the city’s only swing House district, one where police support and property taxes are key issues.

The freshman lawmaker has linked his challenger to property tax hikes.

Rose tweeted last month that City Council legislation will notify residents “when they pay their outrageous property tax bills, which have only been made worse by @NMalliotakis’ 2017 tax law.”

He added at the debate: “When the Republicans put forth their tax plan several years ago, that included obviously the SALT cap issue. Nicole said that, she applauded it and she said that the SALT issue was just irrelevant.”

It’s true that Malliotakis is a proponent of President Trump’s 2017 tax overhaul, which limited state and local tax deductions and led to some property tax increases.

And she did in an op-ed call the SALT issue irrelevant to those who take a standard deduction.

But it’s false to imply that she has directly or consistently advocated for higher property taxes.

Malliotakis in the state Assembly has voted against property tax hikes and advocated for an equitable property tax system.

“I’ve been at the forefront of the fight every time the mayor comes to Albany to push him for a property tax cap after he has increased the levy over 50 percent since being in office," she said at the debate.

With days to go until early voting begins and weeks to go until Election Day, expect this competitive race to continue heating up.