New York governor Kathy Hochul at a press briefing in Manhattan on Monday accused her opponent, Republican Representative Lee Zeldin, of exaggerating the state’s violent-crime surge to score political points.
When a reporter referenced Zeldin’s recent claim that the Democratic incumbent has been scoffing at New York City residents’ concerns with subway crime, she shot back: “He has been hyperventilating, trying to scare people for months.”
“And New Yorkers are onto it. All the legitimate media organizations have called him out for what he is doing. Fear-mongering. And that’s not just here in New York. That’s been the Republican playbook all across this country,” she said. “All you need to know is that Democratic states are safer than Republican states. Check out the facts.”
Hochul says Zeldin is “hyperventilating” about crime in New York. pic.twitter.com/TzmgDSHzua
— Kerry Picket (@KerryPicket) November 7, 2022
Hochul is currently 7.8 percentage points ahead of Zeldin in the governor’s race, according to the FiveThirtyEight polling average. Her lead has been steadily narrowing since the summer, suggesting a tighter contest than is typical for the Democratic-dominated state.
Zeldin has slammed Hochul for downplaying the crime issue, which has hit close to home for many New York City residents. Last week, a serial sex predator allegedly choked a woman, who was jogging in the West Village, and violently raped her, breaking several bones in her neck and leaving her bloodied. In New York City, rape is up 15 percent year over year.
Total major felonies in the New York City transit system increased 44 percent between January and September, compared with the same time frame the year before, according to data from the NYPD Transit Bureau. Assaults on the subway have risen 17 percent and robberies 32 percent from the same period last year.
At a Fox News town hall over the weekend, Zeldin rejected Hochul’s allegations of “data-denial” against Republicans.
“Here’s the best part of that clip… she’s saying that right next to them showing all the different major crime categories that are way up year-over-year… She says it’s a conspiracy. And even CNN this morning, when she’s doing that side-by-side, is showing how major crime category one after another,” the gubernatorial hopeful said.
Unlike Hochul, Zeldin has pledged to fire the “rogue” progressive prosecutors behind law-enforcement policies that many Republicans contend are emboldening criminals and fueling lawlessness.
A former cop, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has pushed Hochul and Democratic lawmakers to rescind parts of a 2019 bail-reform law that routinely lets offenders, many recidivist, back onto the streets hours after they’ve been arrested. Hochul has claimed that rollbacks to the law have given judges and prosecutors more discretion to keep criminals detained and has argued that they need to take greater advantage of the increased latitude.
Yet, she refuses to terminate those district attorneys, including Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. She told MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle recently that firing him and the other soft-on-crime officials wouldn’t solve the nationwide crime problem.