What if New York gave a rudder to the right? Few people imagined before the US election on Tuesday that the city and state, seen as progressive left-wing strongholds, could escape democratic control in favor of conservative Republicans. The latest polls, however, make this possibility credible.
Since October, in the midst of soaring prices and soaring insecurity in the largest city in the United States and in the country’s fourth state, the race between the right-wing opposition and the center-left majority has tightened.
Polls now suggest a head-to-head, even a close defeat of centrist Democratic governor Kathy Hochul, in favor of Republican Lee Zeldin, backed by Donald Trump.
The state of New York, 20 million, will return 26 representatives to the House, including 19 Democratic incumbents, but Republicans could win nine seats, according to the New York Times and ballotpedia.org.
New York Congressman and Republican candidate for New York Governor Lee Zeldin. [Jeenah Moon – reuters]
10 to 4 points difference
An election map from the US newspaper shows that apart from the “blue” Democratic strongholds of the cities of New York, Albany, Buffalo and Rochester, the rest of this vast rural state is “red,” the color of the Republicans.
The Democrats’ lead began to decline in October when Kathy Hochul, 64 – unelected but who took over from ousted Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2021 – was challenged by an elected national representative representing New York State, Lee Zeldin, 42 years old.
From ten points the gap has risen to four points, or even a very slight advantage for Lee Zeldin according to some polls, however questionable in the United States.
For Jay DeDapper of pollster Marist Polls, it is “the most realistic chance of victory for a Republican at the helm of New York State” since the last Conservative governor George Pataki (1995-2007).
Meetings that follow one another
A sign of the excitement of the New York left, Kathy Hochul chained the end of the campaign meetings where she received the hugs from President Joe Biden, his Vice President Kamala Harris and the couple Hillary and Bill Clinton.
Joe Biden, who will soon turn 80, has urged his troops to “vote” to “save democracy” and “choose between two fundamentally different views of America,” including abortion and weapons.
The Republican Party mocked the Democrats’ “desperation” to save their majority and predicted a “Biden failure”.
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