With the Democratic major simply weeks away and polls exhibiting a number of candidates in or close to the lead, the anticipation going into Wednesday night time’s debate was pretty excessive. Confronting one another face-to-face — although from C.D.C.-approved distances — eight candidates engaged in two hours of frenetic verbal sparring which will have been increased on theatrics than substance.

Listed below are 5 takeaways. And for extra, learn our full recap of the talk.

Adams was attacked like a front-runner.

Within the second hour of the talk, the moderator gave every of the eight candidates the chance to ask one query of a competitor. 4 of the contenders focused Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president and a front-runner within the race.

“Mr. Adams has stated he’s carried a gun to church, he has requested off-duty officers to hold weapons to church,” stated Maya Wiley, a former counsel to Mayor Invoice de Blasio. “He’s stated he’ll carry a gun as mayor and perhaps even ditch his element. Eric, isn’t this the flawed message to ship our youngsters we’re telling to not decide up the weapons?”

Afterward, the previous presidential candidate Andrew Yang — who additionally took warmth for his centrist platform — delivered the night time’s sharpest critique of Mr. Adams, pointing to the assorted instances in his profession when he has been topic to investigation.

“You don’t take note of the foundations of the street,” Mr. Yang stated. “You’re unprincipled.”

Mr. Adams usually responded to the assaults with ease, a smile, and within the case of Ms. Wiley, a observe of condescension.

“I really need you to grasp this subject,” Mr. Adams advised Ms. Wiley, earlier than launching into a proof of how off-duty officers typically intervene in crimes to good impact.

As soon as once more, crime dominated the dialogue.

The problem of public security in New York Metropolis, very like within the first debate final month, dominated the second mayoral debate from the outset.

The primary query challenged candidates to clarify whether or not it was doable to deal with crime — taking pictures incidents within the metropolis are up 77 % this yr, in contrast with final yr — whereas concurrently diverting assets away from the Police Division, which lots of the extra left-leaning candidates have proposed.

Mr. Adams, a former police officer who doesn’t help reducing policing, spoke grimly about gang wars and extra personally about shedding a childhood pal to gang violence. Kathryn Garcia, the previous sanitation commissioner underneath Mr. de Blasio, emphasised the significance of taking weapons off the road.

Scott Stringer, town comptroller, used the chance to assault Ms. Wiley, who can also be vying for help from the occasion’s left flank. Mr. Stringer stated Ms. Wiley served as a “rubber stamp” as chair of the Civilian Criticism Assessment Board, which processes civilian complaints concerning the police.

The talk was messy and lacking substance.

Many of the candidates pushed to carry the talk in individual. However the format change didn’t seem to deliver the extra substantive coverage dialogue that the candidates and many citizens had hoped for.

As a substitute, the talk was a chaotic, tumultuous two hours by which the candidates repeated speaking factors they’d delivered earlier than and assaults they’ve already honed.

Mr. Adams appeared annoyed by the clashes. At one level, he complained to a moderator, “I actually hope that now we have the self-discipline to permit all of us to have the timeframe that has been allotted.”

Sounding equally irritated, the moderator replied: “You’ve your probability now, Mr. Adams.”

Garcia largely flew underneath the radar.

With all of the barbs flying between the candidates, one contender appeared to conspicuously keep out of the combo: Ms. Garcia.

Mr. Yang and Mr. Adams had been the topic of a number of assaults, per being seen as prime candidates within the race. However Ms. Garcia, who gave the impression to be gaining momentum within the race following an endorsement from The New York Occasions editorial board and was the topic of assaults main as much as the talk, largely escaped the eye of the opposite candidates on Wednesday night.

When the candidates had been prompted to ask one other candidate a query, no one directed one to Ms. Garcia.

Solely towards the tip of the talk did Mr. Stringer criticize Ms. Garcia for being a part of the de Blasio administration.

Wiley got here out swinging.

Ms. Wiley, an legal professional and former commentator on MSNBC, got here out robust in the course of the second debate, going after two of the front-runners and ignoring calls from the moderators to remain throughout the time restrict.

Along with taking up Mr. Adams over weapons, Ms. Wiley, carrying a vibrant crimson blazer that helped her stand out on the stage, additionally criticized one other front-runner within the race, Andrew Yang, saying that his nonprofit was ineffective in carrying out its objective of making jobs. Mr. Yang promised 100,000 jobs, Ms. Wiley stated, however “created 150.”

Within the first hour, there have been moments when Ms. Wiley managed the frenetic tempo of the talk whilst she annoyed the moderators by refusing to cease when requested.

Throughout a query on stopping crime, one moderator, WABC’s Invoice Ritter, repeatedly tried to get Ms. Wiley to cease speaking. “Ms. Wiley,” stated Mr. Ritter. “Recognize that.”