Edited by: Fern Sidman
At a political campaign rally that was held on Long Island on Saturday night, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was stumping for Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin in his bid for the position of the next governor of New York.
This past week, Zeldin debated incumbent Governor Kathy Hochul (D) and according to a recent report, another major political prognosticator has shifted the tightening New York governor’s race in Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin’s direction — after predicting for months that incumbent Gov. Hochul would cruise to victory.
The respected Cook Political Report changed its rating from “solid Democrat” to “likely Democrat” on Friday, acknowledging a closer-than-expected race that New York Dems are rushing to help save.
The rating revision came two weeks after RealClearPolitics declared the Hochul-Zeldin contest to be a toss-up.
At the Saturday evening rally. Governor DeSantis said that Florida can be a model of what New York could be if Rep. Lee Zeldin is elected governor, according to a report on the Politico.com web site.
DeSantis himself is considering a run for the White House in 2024 and thus far has gained enormous support from the Republican party establishment and his constituents. Joining DeSantis at the rally were the top Republican leadership of New York state. Both DeSantis and the GOP elected officials hyped up the ebullient crowd and exhorted them to take part in early voting that began on Saturday. Politico.com reported that former gubernatorial contender Andrew Giuliani in attendance and was tossing t-shorts and footballs into the crowd.
DeSantis told the crowd at the Long Island rally that a Republican governor has not been elected in New York since 2002 and that if Rep. Zeldin should win it “will be the 21st century version of the shot heard round the world,” as was reported by Politico.
DeSantis focused much of his address telling the crowd of his own accomplishments while in office. According to the Politico report he spoke of his efforts that thwarted Covid-19 vaccine mandates as well as taking a hard line stance against protests after the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis through the use National Guard troops. He also addressed his position against education policies teaching about systemic racism, the report indicated.
In terms of escalating crime rates and the criminal justice arena, DeSantis said that Zeldin’s leadership would serve as a bulwark against those New Yorkers who wish to flee to Florida and other such states.
“I would say the number one thing I hear, where people get so fed up, is they are sick and tired of the crime that you see, particularly in New York City,” DeSantis said, as was reported by Politico.com. “Florida is a law-and-order state. I am a law-and-order governor. If Lee Zeldin gets into office, New York will become a law-and-order state.”
“I’d like to see him get in there and unleash your own energy here in the state of New York,” DeSantis said about Zeldin. “So I think this is an important choice for the state of New York. Do you want to continue down the path that you’re on — the path that’s seen you hemorrhage people, wealth, you name it. Or you want to try a different direction?”
Politico reported that Florida surpassed New York as the nation’s third largest state in 2014.
Zeldin’s campaign has gained momentum in recent weeks with promises to aggressively crack down on crime, boosted by millions of dollars from outside groups, Politico reported.