Fogbow

ALBANY — U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin's path to the governor's mansion may require a different political route than Gov. George E. Pataki took in 1994, when he became the last Republican to unseat a Democratic incumbent governor in New York. By the numbers, the military veteran may still have an outsized shot in the deep-blue state, if he can carve out the electorate that U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi carried in the Democratic gubernatorial race.

Zeldin's campaign has flown under the banner of "Save our State." The four-term Long Island congressman and many of his fellow Republicans in New York have expressed dire concern over the nation-leading scores of residents leaving the state and heading to places like Florida, Texas and Tennessee.

Zeldin is a former two-term state senator who was a U.S. Army military intelligence officer and served in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army reserves and is confident he can defeat Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat and former Erie County clerk with a massive campaign fund, a slew of labor unions on her side and deep political ties in western New York.

Yet Zeldin is charting his path based on a belief that some Democrats will vote for a Republican because of their concerns about surging crime, spiraling gas and food prices and inflation. He'll also need support from independent voters, who represent a growing portion of the electorate.

The issues are similar to those invoked in the Democratic primary race by Suozzi, D-Long Island, but to little avail against Hochul.

The massive gains for one major party and essentially no gain for the other may be partly correlated with the population shifts as moderate and conservative retirees move to warmer, Republican-led states and liberals have made their way to New York City during a period of rapid urbanization and gentrification.

Furthermore, it is the suburban counties where the voter registration shifted most prominently that could make it more challenging to try to follow Pataki's path.

Kathy Hochul @KathyHochul wrote: If you’re looking for a label to give me, you can just call me “Governor.”

Laura Nahmias @nahmias wrote: Newsmax’s ⁦@gregkellyusa⁩ interviews GOP nominee ⁦@leezeldin⁩ about NY governor’s race:
Kelly: “Kathy Hochul has not really done much of anything, other than, I’m sorry but, be somebody’s wife”

Zeldin: “She’s in over her head. She’s been a walking identity crisis.”

MAGA nominee for Gov of NY Lee Zeldin is asked his position on Greg Abbott sending buses of migrants and dropping them off in NY. Zeldin says he doesn’t have a problem with it, since Abbott is just trying to get Biden’s attention.

Kendra wrote: ↑Wed Aug 24, 2022 12:21 pm

MAGA nominee for Gov of NY Lee Zeldin is asked his position on Greg Abbott sending buses of migrants and dropping them off in NY. Zeldin says he doesn’t have a problem with it, since Abbott is just trying to get Biden’s attention.

RNC Research @RNCResearch wrote: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul tells Republicans to "jump on a bus and head down to Florida where you belong...you are not New Yorkers"

Slim Cognito wrote: ↑Sun Aug 28, 2022 11:33 am Can we hop on the bus for the return trip?

Frater I*I wrote: ↑Sun Aug 28, 2022 12:43 pm

Slim Cognito wrote: ↑Sun Aug 28, 2022 11:33 am Can we hop on the bus for the return trip?

Only if you can handle the snow....