U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin has advanced to the November election after winning the GOP primary this week which means he will face Gov. Kathy Hochul. She was serving as lieutenant governor 11 months ago when she stepped into the top office after scandal-ridden Andrew Cuomo was forced to step down.
According to The New York Post, Hochul is favored to win in the deep blue state that hasn’t elected a Republican governor since 2006, 16 years ago.
Rep. Zeldin, however, told New Yorkers this week he is on a “rescue mission” to save the state from high crime and taxes.
“We're reaching out for all of you to work with us to save New York," the lawmaker told supporters. "This is a rescue mission to save our state and losing is not an option."
According to polling, however, New Yorkers don’t want to be saved from the Democrats: A poll posted at RealClearPolitics shows Hochul leading Zeldin 52%-28% among likely voters.
That is identical to Hillary Clinton’s win over Donald Trump in 2016, when she won the state 58%-37%.
Rob Chambers, vice president of AFA Action, the political arm of the American Family Association, says the struggling economy is likely Zeldin’s best issue to woo Democrats and Independents.
"You have people on fixed incomes, people that are hourly workers,” he says. “And they may make, say, $12 to $20 an hour and they're paying $5 to $6 dollars a gallon for gasoline.”
According to AAA, a gallon of regular gas is averaging $4.91 across the state and has now crossed $5 in some areas.
Among business-related taxes, New York is ranked 49th, just ahead of neighbor New Jersey, by the Tax Foundation.
So reminding voters who is in charge, and who is hurting their bank account and family budget, is likely the GOP candidate’s only way to squeeze out a victory, says Chambers.
“I think that that is the only thing that is going to help [Zeldin] prevail in a statewide race for New York governor,” Chambers says. “Other than that, I don't think there's much chance."
Editor's Note: AFA Action is an affiliate of the American Family Association, the parent organization of the American Family News Network, which operates AFN.net.
