Sen. Charles Schumer's re-election campaign against Republican challenger Wendy Long has also been marked by personal attacks, including charges of corruption, though the mudslinging in this race has been entirely one-sided. Bobby Cuza filed the following report.
When it comes to Sen. Charles Schumer, Wendy Long pulls no punches.
"He's against the American people. He's against the American worker." Long said last week.
Whether in interviews, speeches or her weekly Facebook Live chats, Long rarely misses a chance to bash her opponent.
Take immigration. Schumer was an architect of a 2013 bipartisan Senate bill. Long equates his views to anarchy.
"This is part of the globalist, corporate, anarchist cabal that Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton are a part of to undermine American workers, wages and security," Long said.
Then there’s Amy Schumer, a cousin of the senator, who's joined him to promote gun control measures. Long has cited the comedian's "vulgarity" and use of sex as a marketing tool, calling out critics of Donald Trump for focusing too much on his comments about women.
"They also ignore the crude and provocative talk and dress of many women in public on the other side of the political equation, such as Amy Schumer, and even Megyn Kelly," Long said on October 12.
But most often, Long accuses Schumer of doing the bidding of his campaign donors, calling it pay-to-play corruption, though she stops short of calling him a criminal.
"The kind of corruption that Schumer engages in, corruption I believe is wholly legal, nevertheless, it is corruption," she said.
"This is the kind of rhetoric that doesn't even deserve a response," Schumer said.
Schumer says his record speaks for itself and points to a long list of legislative accomplishments. He has done little traditional campaigning, instead holding events in his official capacity, including three on Thursday.
He never so much as mentions Long, who does agree with him on some issues. Schumer, for instance, bucked President Barack Obama to support a bill allowing 9/11 families to sue Saudi Arabia, and opposed the Iran nuclear deal, though even there, Long says he didn't do enough.
"With all that power and all that influence, he didn’t seek to influence any of his colleagues to try to get them to vote against the deal?" Long said.