Crime, abortion, and Trump dominated the conversation between incumbent New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and her Republican challenger Lee Zeldin during the state's sole gubernatorial debate.

The debate comes just two weeks before election day. Polls show the race tightening. Hochul is seeking her first full-term after taking over for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2021, who resigned amid harassment accusations.

Zeldin, a longtime congressman for Long Island's Suffolk County, is seeking to unseat the former lieutenant governor. He is focusing his campaign on rising crime in New York and the state's high cost of living.

No Republican has won statewide office since 2002.

The debate was contentious and Zeldin steered most topics back to crime. Hochul tried to portray Zeldin as a radical conservative with close ties to former President Donald Trump.

"You're poorer and less safe because of Kathy Hochul and extreme policies," Zeldin said during his opening statement. "This is your opportunity to save New York."

Hochul hammered Zeldin on his record in Congress, citing his absence from crime and gun control votes.

"You can work on keeping people scared or on keeping people safe," Hochul said. "There is no crime-fighting plan if it doesn't include guns."

Zeldin criticized Hochul's gun control support when shootings have declined. Overall crime has jumped by more than 30% since last year, according to NYPD data.

"Unfortunately, Kathy Hochul believes the only crimes that are being committed are these crimes with guns, but people who are afraid of being pushed in front of oncoming subway cars. They're being stabbed, they're being beaten to death with hammers .... We need to be talking about all of these other crimes but instead, Kathy Hochul was too busy patting herself on the back 'job well done,'" Zeldin said.

The debate also focused on abortion.

The candidates had opposing views on the issue. Zeldin dismissed the abortion debate as moot. Hochul emphasized her opponent's support of restrictions

Zeldin has supported legislation that would, with few exceptions, federally ban abortions after 20 weeks and criminally penalize doctors who violate it.

Zeldin has long been a supporter of former President Trump, recently accepting an endorsement. Trump lost the state by nearly 2 million votes.

When asked by moderators whether Zeldin would repeat his vote to overturn the 2020 election in favor of Trump, Zeldin stood by his decision.

"The vote was on two states: Pennsylvania and Arizona," he said. "And the issue still remains today."

Hochul asked her opponent whether or not he thought Trump "was a great president," to which he refused to give a straight answer.

Instead, Zeldin boasted of the accomplishments he and Trump accomplished together, including border control and U.S.-Israel relations.

Other debate topics ranged from Hochul's murky fundraising past, her use of taxpayer dollars to keep the Buffalo Bills in the state, and the question of whether President Joe Biden should run for reelection in 2024.

Hochul said President Biden should run again, citing his infrastructure successes. Zeldin said he "is not even thinking about it," when the prospect of Trump running in 2024 was brought up.

Absentee voting begins Saturday. Hochul has a heavy fundraising advantage and has outspent her Republican opponent almost two to one. Zeldin has mainly been backed by cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder.

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