Lhota Attacks De Blasio in Final NYC Mayor Debate New York City mayoral hopefuls Bill de Blasio and Joe Lhota have debated for a final time, offering starkly different visions of the future for the nation's largest city. De Blasio, a Democrat who has a commanding lead in the polls, argued Wednesday that Lhota, a Republican, was unresponsive to a city he believes is desperate for a change in philosophy and tone after having Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the helm for 12 years. De Blasio, the public advocate, said a Lhota administration would leave the city "very much the same as today." Lhota, a one-time deputy mayor to Rudolph Giuliani, argued that de Blasio has no experience to lead the city, attacking his resume full of "mid-level jobs." The election is Tuesday.