In the final day before the gubernatorial election, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin were both on the campaign trail on Monday to house their closing arguments in front of voters for the election campaign.
Hochul was pressing meat on Monday morning in the Upper West Side with some of the most prominent representatives of the Democratic stronghold such as U.S. Representative Jerry Nadler, State Senator Brad Hoyleman and City Council member Gail Brewer. Taking questions from reporters, Hochul emphasized the goodwill of his electorate and New York as voters make the final decision on who to cast their vote for Tuesday.
“I know the state, I have represented a large part of the state in the Congress,” Hochul said. “I’ve been an elected official for 30 years. I’ve been lieutenant governor since the 2014 election, and took office in January 2015. I have a longer residence than many people here right now. And I’m proud of that.”
“I know this state, I know this city,” she continued. “I’ve been to all communities. Diners, restaurants, community centers, synagogues, churches, temples. I’ve been everywhere. And that’s why I’ll be such a strong governor, because I understand the needs, because I talk directly to people. I hear. And we’re just getting started.”
The governor also defended his record of combating violent crime, particularly on the city’s subways, as Zeldin continued to portray him as apathetic about the issue. Hochul described Zeldin’s laser focus on high-profile crimes as “fear inciting”, devoid of any real solutions to prevent violent incidents. Also, she explained the steps she has taken to reduce crime, such as the recent escalation of both the NYPD and state police on the subway and the installation of security cameras on trains.
“He’s been trying to scare people for months, he’s hyperventilating,” Hochul said. “And New Yorkers are at it. All legitimate media organizations have called him out for what he’s doing: an atmosphere of fear.
“We’ve been in the subway,” she said. “I stood there with the mayor” [Eric] Adams was talking about an intelligent plan just days ago, not just to scare people. I am working on a real solution. The solution is that the state, for the first time, is deploying state officials to the subways. We have cameras in trains. We are helping people with serious mental health problems get off the train because they could harm themselves or others.
The Governor made the following remarks Several days of rallies around the New York City metro area with some of the biggest stars in the Democratic Party Including President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Bill Clinton and his wife former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The marathon of rallies represents the final push by the Hochul campaign to drive Democratic turnout in parts of the city that are crucial to winning his first full term as governor.
Party heavyweights traveled to the Empire State to stump for Hochul in the final days of the election after several public polls last month, which showed Zeldin holding Hochul, more than initially expected. It was a close race. Hochul also visited senior and community centers on the Upper West Side and Harlem on Monday, and is holding a pre-election rally in Buffalo in the evening as part of her public campaign schedule.
Meanwhile, Suffolk County Congressman Zeldin spent the final day before the election holding a press conference at the site of a high-profile crime to lay the blame for the incident, which has become a common tactic for his campaign. and more recently on state criminal justice reforms.
This time, Zeldin was in the East Bronx where 52-year-old Jesus was sucked into the back of Cortez’s head in August Due to which his skull was fractured. Zeldin said he chose the site because alleged criminal Bui Wan Phu – According to a published report, who is on parole for life and is a convicted sex offender – was initially released under New York’s reformed cash bail system because Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark did not bring bailable charges.
However, last month Phu was struck with second-degree assault charges and placed on $100,000 bail after the case stirred up.
Zeldin is launching an almost daily attack on bail laws — which were reformed by the state legislature in 2019 to eliminate cash bail for most misdemeanors and some nonviolent felonies — during the campaign cycle. He has lobbied for frequent attacks on progressive prosecutors such as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for choosing not to charge certain low-level crimes.
The congressman has said he will suspend bail laws by declaring a “crime emergency” and remove Bragg on day one.
Zeldin said the fatal flaw of Hochul’s campaign is that he underestimated that New Yorkers, no matter what their party, see public safety as the number one issue in the state.
“The issue I’ve heard a lot about from New Yorkers is that they want to be able to feel safe on the streets and subways,” Zeldin said. “If anyone is already trying to understand why Kathy Hochul is going to lose this race tomorrow, if you just need to look at one thing, it’s that New Yorkers are not monolithic. Can’t picture a person who is a registered Democrat and say because they are a registered Democrat, that means they’re just going to vote a particular way. That they don’t think for themselves. That’s not their opinion. They have their own vision. And what they really want is to see action.”
As part of his closing message, Zeldin emphasized that he would be a governor to work with Democrats, holding Mayor Adams as an example.
“When I wake up the day after the election, [Wednesday] In the morning, the first thing I’ll do, as I mentioned before, is I’m gonna pick up the phone and I’m gonna call Mayor Adams,” Zeldin told reporters. “And I’m going to tell Mayor Adams that I want to work with him to find common ground that will be able to save the Big Apple.”
“Every member of Congress, the state senate, the state legislature, the city council, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “Right, left, center, Republican, Democrat, independent. It’s all about us expanding the coalition and working together.”
