In politics, sometimes victory can be as alarming as defeat. Two almost assuredly safe races in blue bastions highlight a trend that Democrats cannot help but find horrifying. Even on their own turf, progressives are losing control of the narrative as the gulf between citizens and elected officials continues to widen in America today.
Sitting Governor in Reaction Mode
Let’s start with New York, where Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul is the overwhelming favorite to stave off Republican challenger Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) on Nov. 8 and keep her place in Albany. The voting registration rolls may favor her, but Hochul has been on the defensive for most of the year.
Hochul assumed office in August 2021 when Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo stepped down due to multiple allegations of sexual harassment. Hochul immediately got off on a sour note by choosing Brian Benjamin as her lieutenant governor. Benjamin resigned in April after being arrested on bribery and wire fraud charges.
The choice of Benjamin as her sidekick furthered impressions that Hochul is a quintessential machine politician. Disturbing pay-for-play accusations involving the coronavirus pandemic have added considerable fuel to the fire.
The Albany Times-Union reported Sept. 8 that Hochul’s administration last December agreed to purchase 26 million at-home COVID tests at an inflated price “from a New Jersey-based distributor that happened to be a major campaign donor to the governor.”
“The price offered by Digital Gadgets founder and CEO Charlie Tebele was $13 per test, far steeper than what other companies were proposing for similar rapid antigen tests,” the paper related. Tebele and members of his family “have donated nearly $300,000 to Hochul’s campaign, including $70,000 before last winter. That's when Hochul's administration signed two purchase orders to buy $637 million in tests,” the report added.
Hochul was notorious for her zealous espousal of strict social curbs during the height of the coronavirus fervor. She maintained a mask mandate on public transit in the state until Sept. 7, 2022, long after most Americans had moved on from the pandemic hype.
Achilles' Heel for Democrats Everywhere
Lee Zeldin (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Wokeness is also serving as a negative for the hard-pressed governor. Spiraling crime in New York City has given Zeldin free rein to remind Empire State residents that Hochul has championed bail reform. Lurid news headlines serve to buttress his message.
On Sept. 16, an unhinged man armed with an ax threatened diners at a McDonald’s. He was arrested and then promptly released without bail, forcing Hochul to awkwardly demand an explanation.
Her opponent was quick to pounce. Zeldin appeared in front of the fast-food outlet to denounce Democrat policy. “You could see the fear in the eyes of other people who are here at this McDonald’s just a few days ago,” he declared. His assertion is dramatically confirmed by video that captures the terrifying display in full viral social media Technicolor.
Just one month earlier, Hochul had insisted that bail reform had nothing to do with rising crime in the state. Spectrum News in New York City reported Aug. 8:
“According to the [New York Police Department], overall crime was up more than 30% in New York City last month compared to the same period last year. Grand larceny was up over 40%. Critics have blamed bail reform enacted by Democrats for contributing to the increase. But Hochul maintains one has nothing to do with the other.
“‘I will look at all the data,’ Hochul says. ‘I’ve yet to see data that shows a correlation with a net increase in crime and the bail laws. Because it doesn’t exist in any other city.’”
We Have to Talk About This Now?
Similar cracks in progressive framing are evident in the even more solidly blue fortress of Massachusetts. The Democrat-controlled state legislature on May 5 passed a new law granting driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. The measure easily survived a veto by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker. Once again, it was smooth sailing in the Bay State for the cultural left.
But then something unexpected happened. Irate citizens launched a successful petition effort to get the issue placed on the November ballot. Just like that, a routine progressive initiative had become a source of public controversy.
GOP gubernatorial nominee Geoff Diehl has seized on the matter to great effect in his uphill general election battle against Democrat Attorney General Maura Healey. On Sept. 11, Diehl gave a sit-down interview for Boston ABC affiliate WCVB-TV. He was afforded a choice opportunity to present an insightful argument on the very real harm the new law posed to individual Massachusettsians. “This is a major issue,” WCVB political reporter Sharman Sacchetti stated, teeing up Diehl.
“It is a major issue ... There is an issue with potential voter fraud. There’s also an issue with [verifying] out-of-country documents, that would give somebody an ID that may or may not prove exactly who they are,” Diehl said. He described the serious security woes already plaguing the commonwealth’s Registry of Motor Vehicles. “Somebody in New Hampshire ... killed seven Marines because he was driving with a [Massachusetts] license that should have been pulled,” Diehl exclaimed. “In Brockton, 2,000 licenses were issued without any test. There [are] problems with fraud at that level.”
Healey has stood by her support for granting driver’s licenses to illegals. It is a public reiteration she surely never wanted to have to perform.
What does it all point to? If Democrats are navigating choppy waters on the safest of home fields, how will things fare for them in locales where they must convince undecided voters on the merits of their agenda?
