Mayor Adams dismissed a handful of hecklers with air kisses while Gov. Hochul and her Republican opponent avoided confrontation during Monday’s 78th annual Columbus Day Parade in Manhattan.

Adams, Hochul, Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) and other Empire State politicians joined the crowds along Fifth Ave. to honor the contributions of Italian-American New Yorkers at the festive celebration.

The mayor, who earlier in the day attended a Columbia University-sponsored Indigenous People’s Day event, brushed off invectives shouted by irate protesters along the parade route as he was met by a mix of cheers and jeers.

“What are you going to do about all this crime?” one attendee shouted as Adams passed by.

“Keep you safe!” the mayor replied with a smile.

Others in the crowd trailed the mayor up Fifth Ave., chanting “F–k Eric Adams” over and over and hoisting signs covered in anti-vaxxer slogans.

Adams responded by laughing and blowing some kisses in their direction.

State Sen. Diane Savino (D-Staten Island), who marched alongside the mayor, took umbrage with the attacks on Adams.

“Have some class,” she shouted at the protesters.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams marches during the 78th Annual Columbus Day Parade as it returns to Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York on Monday, Oct. 10, 2022.

The annual event, which started in 1944, has become a contentious celebration amid a push to reassess Columbus’ impact on Native Americans and support for official recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Hochul and Zeldin, who have yet to agree to a single face-to-face debate ahead of the Nov. 8 general election, both stepped off around 44th St. as the parade began, but managed to avoid crossing paths.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul waves on 5th Avenue during the annual Columbus Day Parade, Monday, Oct. 10, 2022, in New York.

Zeldin was joined by his wife and twin daughters on Monday, a day after two teens were wounded in a shooting outside the family’s Long Island home. The lawmaker’s 16-year-old daughters were inside the house at the time.

“I think it’s important for all four of us to be here with each other,” Zeldin said. “It’s nice to just get their minds off this a bit as we’re walking the route today and to be here with a whole lot of other people who are in good spirits.”

Republican candidate for New York Governor Congressman Lee Zeldin, front left, greets spectators as he marches up 5th Avenue during the annual Columbus Day Parade, Monday, Oct. 10, 2022, in New York.

The conservative congressman, who has assailed Hochul over New York’s cashless bail system and other criminal justice reforms, also proposed a sidewalk debate with the governor before joining the festivities.

“There are a number of really important issues to the voters of New York, where they want to become better informed on their options,” he said. “Let’s give it to them. I’d be happy to do it right here at the Columbus Day Parade, today.”

Rep. Lee Zeldin, left, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani shake hands before the start of the 78th Annual Columbus Day Parade on Monday.

Hochul has agreed to a single NY1-sponsored debate scheduled for later this month, but Zeldin has so far refused to participate unless the governor accepts more invites.

The governor, who last year officially recognized the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in addition to Columbus Day, waved an Italian flag as she marched and exchanged a greeting with Cardinal Timothy Dolan outside of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Recent polling shows Zeldin trails Hochul by nearly 20 points as he seeks to become the first Republican elected to statewide office in New York in two decades.

Hochul, who replaced Andrew Cuomo following his resignation in the wake of sexual harassment allegations last year, is hoping to be the first woman elected governor in the Empire State.

Chris Sommerfeldt, Denis Slattery

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