TROY – The campaign to become the next Rensselaer County executive became more personal moving into the final days before Tuesday's election as the Democratic and Republican candidates sat shoulder to shoulder in a televised debate Thursday.

Democrat Andrea Smyth attacked Republican Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin’s character and ability to lead as a result of recordings of heated conversations between him and a top female aide. Smyth has featured the recordings in radio ads that have aired in the final weeks of the campaign.

The recordings came into the debate sponsored by Spectrum News when Capital Tonight host Liz Benjamin and anchor Solomon Syed questioned the two candidates about sexual harassment, which has jumped into the national discussion with revelations about Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s behavior and that of other men in Hollywood, politics and the media.

“I’ve been shocked as I’ve gone door-to-door about how often voters have raised the issue of my opponent’s horrible abuse of his female staff,” said Smyth, who continues to assert it shows McLaughlin is unfit to lead the county.

Smyth said she is responding to the voters’ comments on their doorsteps despite attempts to speak about her qualifications and program for improving the county.

Said McLaughlin: “I understand why my opponent, who is failing and flailing around in her campaign and has really offered no alternatives to make people’s lives better, would do this. The politics of personal destruction are not what people want to talk about.”

The issue is two or three months old and voters want to talk about making their lives better, McLaughlin said. “The fact is it happened and I apologized and moved on.”

McLaughlin said this issue was raised in the Republican and Conservative primaries, which he won, defeating Deputy County Executive Christopher Meyer. McLaughlin also turned his focus on Gov. Andrew Cuomo and former President Bill Clinton and Democratic president candidate Hillary Clinton saying they hadn’t return Weinstein’s donations.

The two are running to succeed retiring Republican County Executive Kathleen Jimino, who decided not to seek a fifth four-year term in the $121,300 post.

McLaughlin has raised $132,057 and spent $88,814 through the course of the primary and general elections, according to campaign finance records. Smyth has raised $72,093 and spent $61,830.

McLaughlin’s campaign saw its financial backing jump after the primary as it raised more than $78,000 after the county Republican establishment threw its support behind him.

The Republican leadership also maneuvered to get the Independence and Reform lines for McLaughlin by having Meyer nominated to run for Grafton town justice. This allowed the parties to swing their endorsement to McLaughlin giving him the two additional lines on Tuesday's ballot. The Independence line is considered vital for a Republican to have running for countywide office. The Democrats have an enrollment edge over the Republicans.

Smyth of Rensselaer appears on the Democratic, Working Families and Women’s Equality Party lines. Wayne Foy of Troy is the Green Party candidate.

The rest of the debate and the campaign have turned on dealing with water quality issues in Hoosick Falls; making the county more appealing for business development; dealing with social services spending; improving public safety and leadership for the county of 159,429 residents.