Politics
Kathy Hochul dismisses NYers crime surge worries as ‘sense of fear’ ahead of debate with Zeldin
The first and only New York governors debate will be held tonight at 7 p.m. EST.
October 25, 2022 2:49pm
Updated: October 25, 2022 4:15pm
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday blamed a couple “high-instances” for creating a “sense of fear” among the state’s residents.
The incumbent Democrat was responding to a reporter’s question about the “Cops, Cameras, Care” subway safety plan she announced on Saturday with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who got into hot water recently for blaming the media for a “perception of fear.”
“And what I can do is my New York Transit, MTA transit police – I can bring them in and have them be fortifying our main transit hubs,” Hochul said about how the program would address straphangers’ concerns.
“All it is is a cooperative effort to respond to, you know, the high-profile instances which have created a sense of fear in people’s minds,” she added. “I think that’s going to make people feel a lot better when they see that.”
Violent subway crime was up 39% in August compared to 2019, with the city suffering its latest homicide in the system last week when a man was struck and killed by a train after being pushed onto the tracks during a fight over his cell phone.
Hochul is locked in an increasingly tight gubernatorial race against Long Island Congressman Lee Zeldin, who is running neck-and-neck with her after trailing by double-digits by campaigning on public safety.
The New York Republican won former President Donald Trump’s “complete and total” endorsement last Sunday, who called him a “brilliant lawyer” and touted his record on crime, border security and military veterans.
The New York Times reports that Democrats in the heavily-blue state have become increasingly alarmed and is trying to pivot away from abortion and attempts to tie Zeldin to Trump in the final weeks before the midterms elections.
Zeldin has hounded Hochul for multiple debates but the Democratic governor only agreed to one, but only if it was held at Pace University, hosted by Spectrum News before early voting began.
That debate will be held tonight, Oct. 25., at 7 p.m. and will air live on Spectrum News’ New York stations, including NY1 in the five boroughs. It will also air on WNYC 93.9 FM, 820 AM and WNYC.org, according to The Gothamist.
