Republican Lee Zeldin and his family (Video screenshot)
WND is now on Trump's Truth Social! Follow us @WNDNews
By Arjun Singh
Daily Caller News Foundation
Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York, who is running for governor against Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul, has taken the lead in the race for the first time, per a new poll.
Zeldin currently has the support of 48.4% of respondents, compared to Hochul’s 47.6%, a lead of 0.8 points, according to the poll by The Trafalgar Group released Monday. Per RealClearPolitics, this is the first major poll that has shown a lead for Zeldin, a Long Islander representing New York’s 1st Congressional District.
Zeldin’s advantage – considered a statistical tie but sufficient to win him the race – comes as Hochul’s polling lead has declined over the summer from a high of 19 points over Zeldin in August. New York is known to be a heavily Democratic state, with a Cook Partisan Voting Index score of D+10 and whose State Assembly has been in Democratic control since the year 1975.
Vote like your life depends on it, because it does!pic.twitter.com/RoDcYieOqH
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) October 31, 2022
The race between Zeldin and Hochul has focused largely on crime and affordability. New York City, in particular, has faced a significant increase in crime over the last year, with the latest NYPD statistics showing a 32% increase in robberies, 38.5% increase in grand larcenies, 13.9% increase in felony assaults and a 10.9% increase in rapes over last year.
Zeldin has said that “Hochul’s soft on crime, head in the sand approach to coddling criminals is making our streets & subways less safe.” He has promised to work to repeal a 2019 state law that eliminated cash bail and promulgated alternatives to pre-trial incarceration for “low-level offenses,” per the New York Civil Liberties Union. (RELATED: ‘Make Our Streets Safe Again’: Zeldin, Hochul Tackle Crime Policy In New York Governor Debate)
Notably, Zeldin has also promised to remove Manhattan’s District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, Jr., from office. Bragg, a left-wing Democrat elected in 2020, adopted a policy of not prosecuting certain offenses in 2022, though he backtracked on parts of the policy after fierce criticism from New York City officials.
Hochul, who is running for a full term, ascended the governorship in 2021 after her predecessor and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace amidst several sexual assault allegations against him, as well as a scandal over elderly Covid-19 patients being placed in nursing homes, leading to their deaths.
The poll surveyed 1,198 likely voters in New York and had an error margin of 2.9%. Neither Hochul nor Zeldin’s campaign responded immediately to a request for comment.
This story originally was published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
SUPPORT TRUTHFUL JOURNALISM. MAKE A DONATION TO THE NONPROFIT WND NEWS CENTER. THANK YOU!
The post Republican gains lead in high-profile governor's race appeared first on WND.
