The broadsides indicated that Zephyr Teachout, with recent endorsements by The New York Times and the Daily News, has gained momentum in a contest that weeks ago seemed locked up for her opponent. | Getty Teachout bears brunt of attacks in AG debate

Recent polls showed Tish James with a comfortable lead in the Democratic primary for New York Attorney General, but you wouldn’t know it from Tuesday night’s debate.

Zephyr Teachout, a Fordham Law School professor who challenged Gov. Andrew Cuomo for governor in 2014, drew the brunt of attacks from her three fellow Democratic candidates in the race for AG during a fiery debate hosted by NY1. The broadsides were a sure indication that Teachout, with recent endorsements by The New York Times and the Daily News, has gained momentum in a contest that weeks ago seemed locked up for James.


Despite an early lead and the backing of a state party led by Cuomo, James, New York City’s Public Advocate, has battled the moniker of the establishment candidate during a time when the establishment has not performed well at polls in this blue state.

“Zephyr was the focal point because, for different reasons, I think Tish does not want Zephyr to galvanize the progressive base that could permit her to get on the road to victory,” said former governor and attorney general Eliot Spitzer in a post-game analysis on NY1. “Zephyr, with the Times endorsement and the Daily News endorsement, is well on her way to doing that.”

But James, a seasoned veteran of New York City politics, came ready to do battle Tuesday.

The former Council Member from Brooklyn leveled relentless attacks on Teachout throughout the 90-minute debate — hitting her record on guns and corporate donations, and her fitness as an attorney.

“You’ve only been [a member of] the bar in New York State for about three days,” James said in one of numerous attacks on Teachout, referencing her recent admission to the state bar, despite her tenure at a prestigious law school. “What we need now, more than ever, is an attorney general who knows the law; who is a proud member of the New York State bar and who understands that this is not an academic exercise.”

The race for attorney general was not an expected contest this primary season. Former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman was forced to resign earlier this year following harrowing allegations of physical and sexual abuse leveled by several women with whom he had been associated.

Since then, the race to become New York’s top law enforcement official has become one of the most competitive in the state. James and Teachout shared the stage with Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney and Leecia Eve, a former aide to Cuomo and Hillary Clinton.

The evening was focused on how each candidate would use the office of attorney general to oppose President Donald Trump’s agenda, combat sexual harassment, protect tenants and weed out corruption in Albany.

“I am independent of political party machines and that is important to take on the corruption crisis we have here in New York state,” Teachout said.

James walked a more delicate line.

“I refuse to brush every state elected official as being corrupt. I don’t want to slash and burn; what I want to do is move this state forward,” she said. “You have to work with the state Legislature and you have to work with the governor of New York.”

James has also been criticized for saying she did not want to be known as the “sheriff of Wall Street” — a key role for the New York AG, who enjoys unique powers to pursue financial misdeeds.

“I want my own path, my own title, and my title over a 20-year period of time is that of a fighter, so it’s critically important that we understand that the Martin Act is a very powerful tool and that we have to police Wall Street,” James said. “It’s not about being silly and focusing on titles, it’s about making things happen and it’s about taking action and it’s also not about academic exercises but getting things done.”

James was not the only candidate who seized on Teachout, who remained measured throughout most of the debate. Candidates criticized her record and at one point questioned her fitness for office, as she’s run and lost bids for public office before.

“Are you really an outsider, or just an insider who hasn’t won a race?” Eve asked Teachout.

Maloney, who is likely to run for re-election to Congress should he lose this bid, was critical of Teachout’s record on contributions, chiding her for saying she is not accepting corporate donations despite having done so in the past.

“There is not a candidate on this stage who has not accepted corporate money in political campaigns,” Maloney said. “Zephyr has done it, and I’m happy to talk about that. She took all kinds of corporate money in her races before, including LLC money in her race for governor.”

Teachout did not deny having taking corporate in-kind donations in her previous campaigns but said she has received none in this race and vowed to continue the trend if she were to win the seat.

She emphasized a three-part agenda — focused on limited donations, her corruption expertise and her independence from the state’s political establishment — as the reason she should secure the nomination next month.

“I not only have the independence but the expertise, I know how to use corruption laws, I’m an anti-corruption expert, I know tools that have not been used and have been used that we can dig up from the past," Teachout said. "It is past time that we clean up Albany because it is holding us back as a state in so many ways.”