By Julia Harte
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York Governor Kathy Hochul will square off on Tuesday night in her only debate against Republican challenger Lee Zeldin, who has hammered the Democratic incumbent over crime in a race that public opinion polls show is tightening.
The state’s majority Democratic electorate has not chosen a Republican governor since 2002. But recent polling suggests Zeldin is gaining on Hochul, prompting the governor to put new focus on public safety in the final weeks of her campaign.
Hochul, the state’s former lieutenant governor who took office last year after Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned over sexual harassment accusations, is still projected to win the Nov. 8 election.
But after some polls showed her ahead by more than 20 percentage points as recently as this summer, her lead has dwindled to single digits in some mid-October polls. Quinnipiac University and SurveyUSA showed her leading by just four and six points, respectively.
While the economy remains the top priority for the biggest share of voters, 5% have continuously ranked crime or corruption as the most important problem facing the United States today, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling from late September to late October.
Zeldin, a congressman from Long Island, has made addressing crime and violence a key point of his campaign, calling attention to sensational attacks in the New York City subway and slamming Hochul for trying to pass “pro-criminal” legislation.
Hochul’s campaign previously focused on attacking Zeldin’s ties to Republican former U.S. President Donald Trump and warning that Zeldin would roll back abortion rights in New York if elected.
But she has emphasized public safety more in recent days. She released an ad on Friday that pledged “a safer New York for every child” and touted legislation she backed that toughened gun laws and bail restrictions.
On Saturday, she appeared with New York City Mayor Eric Adams to announce that police presence in the city’s subway system would surge, with officers present at more than 300 stations during peak ridership hours.
(Reporting by Julia Harte; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Josie Kao)
