As recent polls show that Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) could potentially win an upset victory in the governor’s race in deep-blue New York, Democrats are scrambling to campaign for Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) — now calling in Vice President Kamala Harris and failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in a desperate attempt to prop up Hochul.
Kathy Hochul will campaign on Thursday with Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, and Letitia James. She wanted a group more popular with New Yorkers, but the Boston Red Sox were busy.
— Jimmy Failla (@jimmyfailla) November 2, 2022
On Thursday, Harris and Clinton will reportedly join the New York governor and Attorney General Letisha James in Manhattan in a last-ditch effort to save Hochul from defeat in next week’s midterm elections.
The New York Times’ Nicholas Fandos reported on Tuesday that the vice president, who has not been particularly popular among voters, and Clinton would campaign alongside Hochul and James in Manhattan in an attempt to assist in the governor’s campaign.
The Democrats’ desperate move comes after a Trafalgar Group poll published late Monday night revealed that Zeldin had taken the lead among likely voters. According to the survey, 48.4% of respondents would choose Zeldin, while 47.6% expressed support for Hochul.
New @trafalgar_group #NYGov #Poll (10/27-10/31) is turning out to be one to watch with #Zeldin holding a razor thin lead in a statistical tie. #nypol
48.4% @leezeldin
47.6% @KathyHochul
4.0% UndSee Report: https://t.co/sh7bW4h83Z pic.twitter.com/1qNbtvuqNd
— Robert C. Cahaly (@RobertCahaly) November 1, 2022
As Zeldin began to surge in the polls, Democrats started to panic. This latest poll only made things worse.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the New York Times reported that the Democratic Governors Associations (DGA) has started throwing money into the New York governor’s race.
The outlet noted that the DGA “will now join prominent labor groups in a rush to start spending on behalf of Ms. Hochul in the race’s final days, as concerned Democrats scramble to ensure that their base turns out to vote.”
The Democrat campaign organization’s spending is not only an attempt to prevent Hochul from losing the governor’s race — it is also an effort to stop a greater upset in down-ballot races. Democrats appear to be looking at New York and worrying about seeing a similar situation to what happened in 2021 in Virginia when then-candidate Glenn Youngkin (R) won the governor’s race.
All of the Democrats’ moves to stave off defeat in New York come as Election Day is less than a week away, on November 8.
While Democrats are calling in relatively unpopular figures like Clinton and Harris, Zeldin has received endorsements from stars within the Republican Party such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who even appeared at a campaign event for the New York gubernatorial candidate.
