With no primary opponent, Republican candidate for mayor Nicole Malliotakis already knew before Tuesday night that she was the GOP candidate in the general election. But with the mayor now the official Democratic nominee, Malliotakis doubled down on her attacks against him Wednesday before she visited two senior centers in Queens and appeared on NY1's "Road to City Hall." NY1's Zack Fink filed the following report.
A day after a decisive primary win for Mayor Bill de Blasio, Republican nominee Nicole Malliotakis offered her own assessment of Tuesday.
"I am really excited about this campaign, going forward. I think the results last night show that there is apathy among his base," she said. "And my base, which is people from across the political spectrum that are disenchanted with the direction of this city."
Malliotakis visited two senior centers in Queens on Wednesday, and made an appearance on "The Road to City Hall," where she was asked if she regrets voting for President Trump.
"You know what, honestly, in hindsight, I regret that he was the nominee, that's what I really regret," the Staten Island state assemblywoman said. "Because I was a supporter of Marco Rubio. He was my choice for president."
The Republican said she will have her name on three different ballot lines this November, but the nominee for the Reform Party line will go to Sal Albanese, who lost the Democratic primary.
The Reform Party was created by Republicans four years ago precisely to help GOP candidates in solid Democratic areas.
"Honestly, I'm not sure how much of a difference the extra line would have been," Malliotakis said. "I would have liked to have it. I have had the Reform line in the past."
There are roughly 3.4 million registered Democrats in the city, and about 500,000 registered Republicans. If Malliotakis is going to overcome that enrollment disadvantage, she will need to tap into the nearly 900,000 voters who are unaffiliated.