Kathy Hochul calls herself an 'underdog' in New York governor race with Lee Zeldin, raising media eyebrows
New York hasn't elected a Republican governor in 20 years
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is an incumbent Democrat in a state that hasn't elected a Republican governor in 20 years and went for President Biden by 23 points in 2020.
Yet Hochul called herself an "underdog" while speaking with reporters on Friday, raising some media eyebrows over her expectation-lowering title. Hochul has led in polls throughout her race with Republican Lee Zeldin, but her challenger has closed the gap enough that Democrats are engaged in what the New York Times describes as a "frenzied" push to avoid what would be a humiliating defeat.
"I am the underdog in this race," Hochul said, according to a dispatch from NY1 State House reporter Zack Fink. He added she said she'd only been governor for a "short time," in response to questions about whether she would have campaigned differently with polls showing a close contest.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}With crime a top issue for voters, Zeldin has surged amid a national wave of polls indicating Republican momentum. In the RealClearPolitics average, he still trails her by six points, although a recent Quinnipiac survey found Zeldin nipping at her heels at just four points back. Conservatives blasted Hochul for her debate moment this week when she suggested Zeldin was too focused on crime.
"Anyone who commits a crime under our laws, especially with the change we made to bail, has consequences. I don’t know why that’s so important you. All I know is that we could do more. We could do more," Hochul said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lee Zeldin and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul debate this week. (Screenshot/Spectrum News)
Reporters noted Hochul's language on Twitter.
"The incumbent Democratic governor of New York is declaring herself the ‘underdog' in her reelection campaign," the New York Times' Shane Goldmacher wryly noted.
CNN's Gloria Pazmino noted Hochul was using that title in "deep blue" New York in the race that's become closer than expected.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Conservatives also took notice, with Ryan Girdusky quipping she'd made a "Freudian slip."
Hochul senior advisor Bryan Lesswing noted Hochul has used that language in the past. She's said she always runs "like she's an underdog," implying she doesn't get too cocky ahead of elections and campaigns as though she's trailing her opponent.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But Hochul's standing in the race, despite the state's liberal lean and her fundraising advantage, has slipped enough that national and state Democrats are being forced to rally to defend the once-safe seat. Even Biden visited the state this week to help juice her campaign.
New York Times article on the tightening New York governor's race. (Fox News)
"Many Democrats have grown uneasy that they have not done enough to excite the party’s liberal base in New York, where Ms. Hochul’s victory was once presumed safe," the New York Times reported about Hochul, who ascended to the governorship last year after the resignation of three-term Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D.
Cuomo was elected easily in all three of his races and was expected to coast to a fourth term until his sexual harassment scandal last year. He resigned in disgrace but has hinted he could return to politics.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hochul's recent struggles are a long way from where she was expected to be in January, when a glowing Politico profile quoted voices calling her a "juggernaut."
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New York has gone blue in every presidential election since 1988. Since 1992, no Republican hopeful has gotten more than 41 percent of the vote in the state. The last Republican to win the governorship there was George Pataki, who won terms in 1994, 1998 and 2002.