As governor's race hits homestretch, candidates stay on message -- Hochul on abortion and Zeldin on crime
NEW YORK -- In a little less than a month, voters will decide the New York governor's race, which is taking on a new intensity as Democrat Kathy Hochul and Republican Lee Zeldin race toward the finish line.
Some might call it a "Rose Garden strategy," but Hochul calls it being governor. She was able to take full advantage of the powers of incumbency by taking action on an issue that is central to her election campaign, CBS2's Marcia Kramer reported.
"This is the next stop on the journey to let the nation know that this is the state of New York and we will protect a women's right to a safe and legal abortion," Hochul said Wednesday.
The governor didn't have to spend a dime of her well-stocked campaign war chest to highlight an issue she hopes will win over voters in her battle with Zeldin -- her support for abortion rights and his opposition.
In a well-timed announcement, Hochul awarded $13 million to abortion clinics in New York to expand access to services.
"There has been a dark pall cast over our nation in the aftermath of the overturning of Roe v. Wade," Hochul said.
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While Hochul basked in the powers of incumbency, challenger Zeldin stood with current and former law enforcement officials and family members of slain Larchmont cop Arthur Dematte to protest a state parole board decision to release the man who killed him, Anthony Blanks.
Zeldin blamed the criminal justice policies of the Hochul administration.
"Dozens of cop killers have been released by this parole board, dozens, and if we don't stand up and do something about it, the fact is that dozens more will be released in the future," Zeldin said.
The tough-on-crime Republican challenger also slammed state policies that allowed an upstate SUNY campus to invite a Black Panther convicted of killing two cops to speak at an April symposium.
"They actually provide a platform for cop killers to come preach to students, claiming that they are a political prisoner," Zeldin said.
But as he took the hard line stance, Zeldin was hit over his Jan. 6 stance in an ad funded by a political action committee. It was narrated by the brother of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was killed in the Capitol riots.
"Lee Zeldin refused to support an investigation into the violence against the police. He didn't stand behind our injured police officers and he didn't stand behind my brother, Brian," the ad says.
Zeldin refused to comment on the ad on Wednesday.