Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) called Lee Zeldin’s strong but failed to show in Tuesday’s election a “wake-up call” for Democrats. Zeldin was the Republican Party’s nominee for governor of New York. In an interview with presenter John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AM’s “Cats at Night” radio show, Cuomo remarked, “He was a one-issue candidate on crime, and in the regions of the state where crime isn’t really a pressing issue, he didn’t resonate.”
The closest race since George Pataki, he said, “but to reach within 5 points, that’s a big wake-up call,” he continued. Democrats have lost valuable congressional seats as a result of it. In the heavily blue state of New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), who succeeded Cuomo after the latter resigned last year after claims of sexual harassment that he has rejected, won the contest for governor but trailed Zeldin by just 5.8 percentage points as of Thursday night.
Cuomo was reelected in 2018 with a margin of victory of more than 20 percentage points, and Hochul ran alongside him on the party’s ticket. Zeldin had a fervent pro-life stance. He supports both the wrong sides of the gun debate and marriage equality. He is a fervent conservative in real life, Cuomo told the broadcaster. It’s amazing that he was within 5 points.
100% what @AndyPallotta said: “We need lawmakers who are committed to making public schools the center of our communities… With these victories, I’m excited for the work ahead.” @nysut #AFTvotes https://t.co/HtrBV6hTfK
— Randi Weingarten 🇺🇦🇺🇸💪🏿👩🎓 (@rweingarten) November 11, 2022
Republicans increased their prospects of winning the House majority, which hasn’t yet been determined, in New York despite Democrats performing better than projected nationally. The director of the House Democrats’ reelection campaign, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (N.Y.), failed to win reelection after switching to a different district once new maps were authorized. Police investigate suspicious envelopes reported by Kari Lake’s campaign office but find no powder inside.
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Republicans also triumphed in a number of tight contests on Long Island, including Zeldin’s current House seat, for which he chose not to run for reelection instead of governor, while other House contests in the state are still too close to call.
The Republican victories, according to Cuomo, demonstrate that Democrats cannot be “crime deniers,” a charge he had leveled shortly before Tuesday’s midterm elections. On the radio program, Cuomo claimed that “there wasn’t a red wave.” However, a crime wave occurred.