Democrats, fearful of a major upset in New York’s gubernatorial race, have created a super PAC to help incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Republican candidate for governor of the Empire State, has sounded increasingly bullish in recent days of his midterm chances as polls show him gaining ground on Hochul.
On Monday, he told Fox News: “We have the energy, we have the momentum on our side. We have the issues on our side. We feel very good. As long as we keep working hard, we are going to absolutely shock the political world, not just here in New York, but around the country.”
KATHY HOCHUL STILL DOESN’T CARE ABOUT CRIME IN NEW YORK
The super PAC created by the Democratic Governors Association comes as both parties pour resources into New York in a race that several weeks ago was not competitive.
A recent poll from the Trafalgar Group, conducted from Oct. 27-31, showed Zeldin had narrowly pulled ahead of Hochul by 48.4% to 47.6%.
Hochul was joined on the campaign trail by New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday night in the borough of Queens in an attempt to shore up a vote that has traditionally propelled Democrats to Albany.
Zeldin, an ally of former President Donald Trump, has focused for months on the issue of crime in New York, consistently hammering home the point that Hochul has struggled to deal with it. Hochul has been forced to play defense and has now pivoted to that subject.
Last month, her campaign launched an ad promising New Yorkers she could give them “a safe walk home at night,” featuring images of subway riders amid increasing fears about crime on public transit.
Grant Reeher, a political science professor at Syracuse University, told the Washington Examiner last week that the pivot might end up hurting Hochul on Election Day.
“Why do you want to be bringing up that fear and then turning around and saying, ‘Elect me as a continuation of the times that produced that’?” Reeher said. “I just think that might backfire a little bit on her.”
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The tightening of the New York race comes amid reports that Republicans are pushing campaign funds into several House races, including ones in which President Joe Biden handily won two years ago.
