Golden, Gounardes take off the gloves at Bay Ridge Community Council debate
In a debate that epitomized the bitterness of the campaign, Republican state Sen. Marty Golden and his Democratic opponent Andrew Gounardes went head to head in front of a raucous crowd at a Bay Ridge Community Council political forum Tuesday night, trading barbs and seeking to gain an advantage with voters as Election Day draws closer.
Gounardes and Golden fought over health care, immigration, LGBTQ rights and other issues during the debate, which took place in a packed auditorium at Xaverian High School on Shore Road.
The boiling controversy over Golden’s refusal to fire campaign staffer Ian Reilly over Reilly’s invitation to alt-right Proud Boys leader Gavin McInnes to speak at the Metropolitan Republican Club heightened the drama at the debate.