A new poll is making the rounds in New York, and it is “shocking”:
Gov. Kathy Hochul leads her Republican opponent Bruce Blakeman by just 4 percentage points, according to a bombshell new poll. Just 47% of those surveyed said they’d back the Democratic incumbent, compared to 43% who supported the Nassau County executive, with 10% of registered voters undecided, the poll, conducted by a pro-Blakeman super PAC found.
Of course, since this is a pro-Blakeman super PAC poll, it is not being done by a neutral party. Which “means we should read the released polling as the candidate’s best-case scenario — although not an implausible one.” The super PAC is releasing this poll to show that Blakeman is competitive in the race and that GOP donors and voters should get excited about it and contribute/volunteer.
The super PAC needed to release this poll to counteract the public polling. The RCP average shows Democrat incumbent Gov. Hochul up 52.3 percent to 35 percent, which means she is already above the magic 50 percent plus 1 majority of the vote.
In a prior column on the governor’s race, I focused on Bruce Blakeman’s inability to raise the money he needed to be competitive. He has since improved his fundraising – granted, after some campaign snafus – bringing in about $11.4 million in total. But he is still far behind the Hochul team – she is sitting on $21 million on hand, and the New York state Democrat Party has an additional $22 million. This is more than four times the amount Blakeman and the state Republican Party have on hand.
SEE ALSO: Troubling Times in the Empire State Governor’s Race
Nevertheless, it seems that Blakeman does have enough money to run a real race.
Remember, in 2022, Gov. Hochul beat then-GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin (NY-01) by a much lower margin than prior Democrat victories. And since that time, the New York state economic and political environment has only gotten worse for the Democrats. I find the super PAC poll findings, which show anti-incumbent fever is running high, that a solid majority of voters believe New York is on the wrong track, and that the economy is bad, very credible.
And things are only likely to get worse, thanks to the demented policies/actions of New York City’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, the radical Muslim communist. In his almost eight months in office, Mamdani has already:
- Instituted a “rent freeze” for one million New Yorkers for the next 2 years. This policy may be celebrated by some of the stabilized tenants, but there are others who are less pleased, including those who are panicking about the decline of their buildings, landlords who are facing bankruptcy, and market-rate tenants who are being squeezed with rent rises.
- Promised to set up a government-run grocery store in each of the five boroughs that will sell essential staples at 30 percent cheaper than regular retail. This will require these stores to operate at a loss. Compensating for that loss will require an estimated $70 million in taxpayers’ dollars. Private stores will also be badly hurt. This has prompted an immigrant-led business group to prepare a lawsuit against the plan.
- Announced a controversial new pied-à-terre tax — explicitly sold as a levy targeting wealthy owners of luxury second homes. The list of those who supposedly are “wealthy” includes almost all the owners of the one million residential tax lots in the City. This tax will destroy much of the home values that these people have built up. Further, the Mamdani administration published the names and addresses of these property owners, which is designed to expose them to harassment, threats, and potentially worse.
- Obsessed endlessly about punishing Israel and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, so much so that even left-wing Jews have complained. Not surprisingly, this rhetoric has led to a huge increase in hate crimes against Jews, including by people shouting the radical Muslim war cry of “Allahu Akbar.” Mamdani had, in April, issued his first veto to reject a City Council bill that would have instructed the NYPD to establish anti-protest buffer zones at schools and educational institutions to prevent the targeting of Jews.
- Endorsed the primary campaign of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) House candidate Darializa Chevalier, who defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), the head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Espaillat was shocked by the mayor’s endorsement, which violated an implicit agreement between the two men.
Mamdani’s frenetic and un-mayor-like activity is likely to drive the city’s economy into the toilet, and crime through the roof. It will eventually antagonize large numbers of New York state voters.
Getting back to the New York governor’s race, Mamdani’s idiocy is great news for Bruce Blakeman. Why? Well, according to the New York City Charter, Section 9:
The mayor may be removed from office by the governor upon charges and after service upon him of a copy of the charges and an opportunity to be heard in his defense. Pending the preparation and disposition of charges, the governor may suspend the mayor for a period not exceeding thirty days.
Now, Hochul will never, ever threaten Mamdani with removal or suspension. She can’t, since Mamdani is much loved by the left-wing base and is a favored Muslim minority. In fact, Hochul must protect him at all costs, as she did by finding state money for him earlier.
But Republican Blakeman is free to do what he wants. He is free to campaign against Mamdani and his crazy policies. And if he wants to, he can even promise to remove or suspend Mamdani if he wins the governorship.
It is time for Bruce Blakeman to channel his inner Eric Cartman (South Park) and make Mayor Mamdani respect his authority!
Editor’s Note: New York City is now facing the consequences of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s socialist takeover.
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