As attack ad season gets underway, new poll has Lee Zeldin cutting into Gov. Kathy Hochul's lead
NEW YORK -- Nine weeks from Tuesday, voters in New York state will decide who'll be the next governor.
As Gov. Kathy Hochul has dropped new ads, a new poll suggests Congressman Lee Zeldin has narrowed Hochul's lead.
The Trafalgar Group surveyed likely voters and found that 47.8 percent support Hochul and 43.4 percent would vote for Zeldin, with a margin of 2.9 percentage points.
It's important to note that several other polls in recent weeks have shown Hochul enjoying a double-digit lead.
CBS2's Marcia Mramer has more on the state of the race.
"This is Lee Zeldin, the Republican nominee for governor ... and on the day our capitol was attacked, a day that led to the deaths of five brave police officers, Zeldin still voted to overturn the election. Lee Zeldin is extreme and dangerous," Hochul's latest ad says.
And so it begins. New York's intense gubernatorial race, which features Gov. Hochul seeking a full four-year term in her own right and Long Island Rep. Zeldin trying to prevent that.
"I think it's very telling that Kathy Hochul put an ad out, as her first ad of the general election. She's putting millions of dollars behind an ad. Is it about making the streets of New York City any safer? No," Zeldin said. "I think it's very telling about where Kathy Hochul's priorities are because I'm in this race, because I want to do my part to save this state. Kathy Hochul is in this race because she wants to save Kathy Hochul."
With the polls tightening, it's no more Mr. Nice Guy. No more Mrs. Nice Guy, either.
The gloves are off.
Over the next two months, New Yorkers will hear Zeldin attack Hochul about public safety, bail reform, and congestion pricing.
"Rather than trying to give some squirmy answer, as the governor did during her Democratic debate with CBS, I will just state clearly, for the record, I oppose congestion pricing. I would do absolutely everything in my power to stop it," Zeldin said.
Hochul will attack Zeldin's positions on abortion, the right to carry concealed weapons, and his closeness to former President Donald Trump, who was the featured guest at a Zeldin fundraiser rover the weekend.
"People in New York understand our values and Donald Trump never has and never will represent them, and to the extent that my political opponent wants to be so closely associated and rely on him for the resources, it's troubling," Hochul said.
Zeldin once again challenged the governor to debate him early and often, pointing out that he has accepted an invitation from CBS2, saying there's lots to talk about.
"All these other issues that I'm sure Marcia Kramer would be asking at CBS or whomever else would be the moderator at any of the debates, would be providing New Yorkers the answers to issues that are most important to them and that's why debates matter," Zeldin said.
Hochul has said repeatedly that she is willing to debate, but her campaign has refused to say when, where and how many.