With raging out-of-control violence in New York City and other concerns, Queens Councilman Robert Holden (D) has crossed the aisle to back Republican Lee Zeldin to replace Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul.
Holden backed Long Island Representative Lee Zeldin for governor on Monday, saying, “Just look at the current status of New York City and New York State: There’s mayhem in our streets, in our courts, and in our jails.”
He said, “We’re going in the wrong path.” The signs are clearly visible. When given a choice, voters should choose Lee Zeldin.
Holden and Zeldin were on the City Hall steps when he made the announcement, which pitted him against the incumbent of his own party. Former Democratic legislators Dov Hikind of the Brooklyn Assembly and Ruben Diaz Sr. of the Bronx joined them.
Holden has a difficult history with the Democratic Party and is a staunch advocate for New York’s police force. He advocated for a return to the 1990s’ ‘Broken Windows’ police technique that had been so effective for the New York Police Department. Whenever police in New York have probable cause to suspect a threat to the public, they are allowed to conduct stops and searches of individuals.
After a federal judge ruled that the NYPD’s frequent use of’stop-and-frisk’ amounted to racial profiling, the department was ordered to implement new restrictions on the practice.
After failing to secure the Democratic nomination for Council, he was eventually elected that year. He won the election on the Republican ticket but caucused with the Democrats.
The Queens democrat first gained prominence by fighting an order from previous mayor Bill de Blasio that required two hotels in his district to provide shelter for the city’s homeless. According to the New York Post, he made it a point throughout the campaign to emphasize his opposition to the construction of a permanent shelter on Cooper Avenue in Glendale.
Since he was so vocal in his opposition to New York’s contentious bail reform rules, Holden has gained notoriety.
After Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace in 2021, Hochul became governor. Since then, Holden has lambasted her for executing the COVID emergency directives with an iron hand and making life miserable for New Yorkers.
Monday, Hochul, sensing the political currents, announced that she would let the directives to lapse in the face of criticism from Republican opponents.
According to the New York Post, there is a lot of discrepancy in the polls on the New York governor campaign. Incredibly, Zeldin is behind Hochul in the polls by 15-24 percentage points, according to two recent surveys. Nonetheless, the Republican challenger is emphasizing the results of two additional polls that have him within ten percent of the incumbent.
Hochul’s backers have been accused of “dirty tactics” by Republicans for sending people absentee ballot applications already filled out, with COVID ticked as the reason for voting from a distance. They are presumably using this tactic because Hochul and Zeldin are in a close race, as reported by the New York Post.
Nick Langworthy, the Republican state chair, made this claim on Monday. He went on to describe the Democrats’ plan “dirty tactics and fraudulent schemes,” calling it “unconscionable” and “in the height of dishonesty and hypocrisy” that they would use the pretext of COVID to disrupt our gatherings at concerts.
“Trying to do this in the name of COVID and public health I believe is terrible,” Langworthy said of the unscrupulous use of an election law gap.
🚨Many big Democratic Party endorsements of our campaign were announced today by our Democrats for Zeldin Coalition: @BobHoldenNYC, @HikindDov, Stephen Kaufman, @revrubendiaz, @Asianwave_org Founder Yiatin Chu, @donghui4nyc, @teacher_choice Founder Michael Kane, & @BrameMadeline pic.twitter.com/DOtGkYD9pe
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) September 13, 2022
