The two candidates vying for the 35th state Senate District seat faced off Thursday night for a contentious debate at the News 12 Westchester studios.

Incumbent Senator Nick Spano (R-NY) and Democratic challenger Andrea Stewart-Cousins went blow by blow as they challenged each other and tackled the issues. Both blamed each other for high taxes. Spano says for the last five years Stewart-Cousins has increased property taxes in Westchester by 42 percent as a legislator. Stewart-Cousins countered by saying since Spano has been state Senator, $2.5 billion of Medicaid costs have been passed down to the county taxpayers. The two also strongly disagreed on who provided the funding to save Westchester Medical Center.

The two candidates did agree on a couple of issues. They both believe that Eliot Spitzer should be the next governor. In addition, they both support a $3 billion redevelopment plan for downtown Yonkers. The competition between the candidates in nothing new. Two years ago, Spano won by just 18 votes after the longest recount in New York history.