"Somebody has to stand up to him."

Nixon fired back, reminding viewers of Cuomo's recent gaffe -- when he said America "was never that great" -- and accusing him of folding when Trump turned the screws.

"You backed down pretty quickly and stood up to him about as well as he stands up to Putin," Nixon said, before pivoting to an outright attack on Cuomo's record, saying that "we already have a corrupt, corporate Republican in the White House. We don't need a corrupt, corporate Democrat in Albany as his main opposition."

The actress and activist turned progressive gubernatorial challenger has consistently run a distant second to Cuomo in the polls, which have put his lead in the 30-point range. Wednesday's debate presented a unique opportunity -- perhaps her last --to change the trajectory of the race and put Cuomo on edge ahead of the Sept. 13 vote.

When a moderator hinted at his rumored presidential ambitions, asking if Cuomo would pledge to serve a third full four-year term if he was re-elected, the governor was unequivocal: "Yes, yes. Yes and yes. Double yes."

"The only caveat," Cuomo said, "is if God strikes me dead. Otherwise, I will serve four years as governor of New York."

When attention returned to the task at hand, Nixon, as she has throughout the campaign, slammed Cuomo over his handling of the subways and, amid a rapid-fire exchange over how the city and state should divide the burden, Cuomo's guard dropped.

"Excuse me, can you stop interrupting?" he asked.

"Can you stop lying?" Nixon shot back.

"As soon