Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The question everyone wants to know after Tuesday's WIVB-TV debate for Erie County Executive is, who won?
Republican strategist Carl Calabrese called it a "split decision" on WBEN on Wednesday between three-term incumbent Mark Poloncarz and political newcomer Chrissy Casilio.
"There's no question that Mark Poloncarz wins on details. He's been there for 12 years. He's a smart man, a lawyer and a CPA. But when it came to issue selection, [Casilio] won," said Calabrese during "A New Morning". "For the first half hour of the debate, the two issues were migrants and the blizzard. In both cases, she had some good lines and good counter punches."
Calabrese said with migrant issues, the democratic party is deeply underwater when it comes to the public's view of how they've handled the migrant crisis.
The migrant issue, locally, is playing out in the Town of Cheektowaga. Three hotels in the town have been housing migrants that were sent from New York City.
Could Cheektowaga be a battleground when it comes to getting the vote out?
"Cheektowaga," Calabrese said, "is always a battleground in county-wide races. Although on paper it's heavily Democrat in enrollment, residents have shown they are very open to voting for Republicans at every level."
Calabrese added that in Republican circles it's known as the golden triangle. "If a Republican can win in Cheektowaga, Lancaster and West Seneca, you have a really good chance of winning a countywide race." He thinks Republicans with Casilio's campaign are pushing that door to door, at the mailbox and in getting out the vote.
The big three issues from the debate, Calabrese said, were migrants, the blizzard and women.
In the second half of the debate, the issue of domestic violence came up. "Casilio hit the ball out of the park on that one," noted Calabrese, "when she said she was wearing a pin for domestic violence month and questioned Poloncarz about a previous domestic dispute."
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