Coalition of NY Democrats turn on Gov. Hochul: 'Violence is out of hand'
New York City Councilman Robert Holden explained why he and many other Democrats are supporting Republican Lee Zeldin over incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Robert Holden, a New York City councilman and lifelong Democrat, has thrown his support behind Republican Lee Zeldin in his bid for governor as the crime crisis remains unmitigated.
Holden is part of a coalition of New York Democrats pushing for new state leadership. He argued that crime is out of control and Gov. Kathy Hochul has done nothing to address the problems.
"Any time you go outside in New York City, there seems to be problems," he said on "Fox & Friends" Wednesday. "My wife won’t ride the subway at all because of the violence that we see."
Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin. (getty images)
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Holden told host Ainsley Earhardt that the situation has gotten out of hand.
"I’m a common sense Democrat. That means I’ll endorse Republicans when I think they’re better for the job."
Holden said he was alarmed by the mass exodus from New York to states like Florida. He pointed to the pandemic-era mandates and the overall increase in crime as a driving factor.
"We’re under siege here, and we need help," he said. "We need a governor that will, again, stop the revolving door that we have in our courts."
New York’s bail reform laws have been widely criticized, with Mayor Eric Adams and police department heads calling the policies "insane" and "dangerous" during a press conference in early August.
Keechant Sewell, commissioner for the NYPD, said the issue is about repeat offenders who cause needless suffering.
"The criminal justice system fails to hold them appropriately accountable for their actions," Sewell said. "These offenders face very few, if any, repercussions, despite committing crime after crime."
Holden said the city is in a bad situation, as smaller crimes are not being handled which encourages larger crimes. He encouraged residents not to vote along party lines, but rather vote for the most qualified candidate.
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"Kathy Hochul did nothing to really remedy this ridiculous bail reform," he said. "If she’s going to make those decisions to put all New York State residents in harm’s way, then vote for Lee Zeldin."
Fox News' Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report.