George Maragos in The New York Times 2010s

On Civil Rights: Publicly advocate the repeal of same-sex marriage

Maragos criticized Wendy Long for not publicly advocating the repeal of same-sex marriage in New York. Long said that was not her role, given that she was not a state lawmaker, but Maragos pressed further, saying it was her duty, since she had the backing of the State Conservative Party--a distinction that Long has eagerly publicized.

Turner was not eager to discuss the subject. "This ship has sailed in New York," he said. "I want to keep the focus on jobs and the economy. The Gillibrand record, the Obama record--that's what this is going to be about."

In a lightning round of questions, Long said she would refuse to attend a same-sex wedding on principle.

On Tax Reform: No-tax pledge; teach the rest of Congress economic theory

Maragos, who accused his opponents of "continued indecision" in defining their stances on tax issues, did not talk of compromise. Asked how he would work with Democrats in Washington like Senator Charles Schumer, he pivoted to discussing his decades of business experience in the financial industry.

"I think I would start by trying to teach some of our Congress people some economic theory," Maragos said. "Unfortunately in Congress we have a lot of attorneys but very few economists and very few business people."

Turner was puzzled. "I think George's suggestion that we school Senator Schumer in economic reality would be an interesting challenge," he said.