NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday she "always [has] a mental state of running like an underdog" as she vows to defend her title in a race against Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin that some polls show has become tighter than expected.
A new Emerson College Polling-PIX11-The Hill poll released Friday — conducted before Hochul and Zeldin's debate Tuesday — showed the governor receiving 50% of support among very likely voters in the state, compared to the Long Island congressman at 44%.
Hochul received 50% of the vote in the same poll last month, while Zeldin received 35%.
In an interview with 1010 WINS anchor Larry Mullins on Friday, Hochul said the polls haven't discouraged her "focus."
"Even when polls [show] me ahead or polls show us changing ... it doesn't affect me," Hochul said. "It really does not have an effect on me because I'm laser focused on my job, which I've worked very hard on. So I have a real record to run on and not just rhetoric, but now it's campaign time, you have to talk to the voters about what you've done."
The 64-year-old said that she's now trying to define her accomplishments since taking over as governor from Andrew Cuomo last August.
"You can't assume [voters have] been following all the work you've done on public safety and fighting crime over the last year or that they would necessarily know how hard you work, working to get more money back in their pockets and focusing on tabletop issues and affordability," she added. "They don't always necessarily know that. So this is the time when we have to take my record and put it out there for the voters to understand and really encourage them to get out there on Election Day."
Despite the challenges posed by crime in New York City, where, according to NYPD figures, overall crime increased year-to-year by 15.2% in September, Hochul said that even while some are "trying to make people scared, [she's] trying to make people feel safe."
She also touted the work she has done to combat crime "behind the scenes."
"You can scare people and talk about it nonstop, or you can be behind the scenes working hard with our partners in government, [Mayor] Eric Adams and law enforcement in other states," she continued. "I've got nine states working together for the first time in history on the anti-gun task force to stop the flow of illegal guns into our streets."
"I understand that this is a deeply felt emotion for people," Hochul said. "I mean the fear is, can be paralyzing and I want every New Yorker not just be safe but also feel safe and that's why this past weekend I was with Mayor Adams on the subways talking about our plan to get more cops, more cameras in the system as well as care for those who are severely mentally ill that really have been part of some of the crime increases, especially those on our subways because they're not getting what they need."
"We've made some progress, [but] we're not done at all," the governor added.
Hochul contends that a variety of issues will influence voters in this election.
"Everybody has their own motivation [to vote]," she added. "That's all right, because what I've done as governor is respond to all the needs of New Yorkers and have met them where they are. But crime continues to be a major concern, as does economic affordability and those are issues that we just have to convey [to] the people that I'm the person who has the policies in place."
Hochul urged voters to understand who they are choosing between as early voting gets underway on Saturday. Do they want "someone who's a seasoned, trusted, trusted leader?" or "someone who is so extreme and is dangerous and is one of Donald Trump's most trusted allies and worked to overturn the presidential election, who doesn't support your right to choose? Who doesn't support getting illegal guns off the streets?"
"There could not be a greater choice between two individuals than there is between myself and Lee Zeldin," the governor said.
Related
Related
