New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has blamed fears of rising crimes in the state on Republicans who want to scare people before the midterm elections, is a "crime denier" who would change her tune if she rode on a subway in New York City, Rep. Andrew Garbarino said on Newsmax on Wednesday.
"If she actually took the subway without her state police escort, she would realize that things are not great in New York City," the Republican congressman said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "The last time I took the subway, I went down and everybody had their backs up against the wall because they don't want to be pushed onto the tracks."
Hochul, running for reelection against GOP challenger Rep. Lee Zeldin, is "doubling down on her bad policies that she and the previous Gov. [Andrew] Cuomo started," said Garbarino. "She's got her head in the sand, and she's just hoping nobody notices until the election is over."
Garbarino added that Hochul is ducking the issue of crime because Albany's Democrats over the last few years have promoted a pro-criminal policy.
"She's afraid if she goes after the criminals, her own party won't support her," said Garbarino, comparing her to New York City politicians such as Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, "who want to release people from jail."
"It's all pro-criminal policies, and she's doubling down on that because she doesn't actually talk to real voters," said Garbarino. "When I talk to real voters, crime and inflation are the number one and two things on their minds. She's talking about everything else."
New York has been a blue state for years, but Zeldin and Hochul are running a close race. Garbarino said he believes, especially after attending Zeldin's recent rallies, that people are ready for a change that will turn the state red.
"You can feel it in the air," Garbarino said. "I'm very excited. I think he [Zeldin] will make a great governor. I worked with him both in the state legislature and in the House. He's got some great policies. On day one, he's going to get rid of the Manhattan district attorney. He's going to declare a crime emergency and suspend some of these pro-criminal laws."
Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia have been in New York campaigning for Zeldin. Garbarino noted that Youngkin "was the start of the red wave" with his win last November.
"People were fed up about policies with their children in schools," Garbarino said of Youngkin. "They were fed up with certain COVID policies, they were fed up with crime policies in deep-blue Virginia, and he won when nobody thought he could."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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