David Yassky is best known in some political circles as the man who was the only white candidate in 2006 for the Congressional seat being vacated by Major Owens, leading some to accuse him of racial carpetbagging. Now he has the unenviable task of trying to pull an upset in Tuesday's comptroller runoff election against John Liu, blocking him from being the first Asian-American elected to citywide office.
The Times has separate profiles on both Yassky and Liu, councilmen whom they describe having much in common from being workaholics to being adept at attracting smart staff members, not to mention their mutual love of blue shirts and gold ties. As the two head into their final debate tonight, Yassky has gone after the frontrunner with a negative ad that includes an attack on Liu's claim the he worked in a sweatshop. Liu in turn has released his own ad, trying to paint himself as all-inclusive with an umbrella of supporters that includes "black, white, Hispanic, Hasidic." Both videos are after the jump.
