New York gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin, a Republican, doesn't plan on wasting a single second of his time in office next year, in terms of rectifying the state's record on crime.
As part of his Day 1 agenda, Zeldin — if victorious over Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat — would move to end "cashless" bail reform.
"The people of New York want it. By the way, this isn't even a Republican versus Democrat issue," Zeldin told Newsmax Friday evening, while appearing in-studio on "Rob Schmitt Tonight."
Zeldin added that New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, supports giving New York judges more discretionary power with assigning bail amounts — especially to repeat offenders.
"I plan to use the power of the governor's office to suspend cashless bail," says Zeldin, while also proclaiming that "We won't waste any time in taking back our streets."
Zeldin has become a formidable challenger to Hochul, who became governor after Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned from office in August 2021, after a wave of potential scandals.
Some polls have Zeldin leading Hochul — despite recent estimates of Democrat voters in New York outnumbering Republicans by nearly a 2-to-1 margin.
Hochul's undoing as a shoo-in for reelection could have something to do with violent crime in New York reportedly rising by more than 30% over the last year.
Also, her own words during a recent televised debate might have raised some eyebrows, when Hochul chided Zeldin for "making a big issue" of violent crime.
"The reality is, we have to hire more cops. ... New Yorkers should feel safe in [public areas]. They shouldn't have to fear getting shoved into an oncoming subway car," says Zeldin.
"And in order to take back our streets ... and our subways, it's going to require Albany [New York's capital] working together" with the New York Police Department, other law-enforcement officials, and the various district attorneys.
"But right now, we have feckless, soft-on-crime leadership" running the state, says Zeldin.
Albany may be the state's capital city, but Zeldin knows the key to a gubernatorial victory involves showing up with New York City voters.
For his Newsmax interview, Zeldin offered a hard breakdown of the necessary NYC numbers:
"If we get less than 30% support [in New York City], we can't win. But if you hit 35% or more, well now, it becomes difficult to lose," says Zeldin.
The various tracking polls suggest Zeldin's support in New York City could be as high as 37%.
"Poll after poll after poll has us in the 30s. ... And if it's above 37% [in New York City], it's over [in my favor]," Zeldin added.
The governor's race "is a 62-county campaign, for sure," says Zeldin, while adding a number of former Democrat state leaders have already crossed party lines on his behalf.
"The people have had enough" with Hochul's policies, says Zeldin. "They want us to save the Big Apple, and they want us to save this state."
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