During an interview with New York 1 News, Representative Ed Towns seized on his Democratic opponent Kevin Powell's admitted past problem with violence towards women. When asked about it, Towns, a 13-term incumbent, said it disqualifies Powell - who refers to himself as a "recovering misogynist" -- from serving in office, and said, "Congress is not a place to be rehabilitated."

Towns said he was eager to campaign, but balked at accepting an invitation to debate Powell on the show.