Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) took issue with Rep. Lee Zeldinâs (R-NY) concern about crime in the state.
During the New York gubernatorial debate Tuesday, Zeldin pointed out âhalfway through the debateâ Hochul âstill hasnât talked about locking up anyone committing any crimes.â
She replied, âAnyone who commits a crime under our laws, especially with the change we made to bail, has consequences. I donât know why thatâs so important to you. All I know is that we can do more.â
Watch the exchange below:
https://twitter.com/JJHunt10/status/1585055603239833600
The New York Times pointed out Zeldin repeatedly used crime as a point of attack against his opponent.
He claimed New Yorkers were âless safe thanks to Kathy Hochul and extreme policies.â
According to the Timesâ report, the number of murders and shootings in New York City decreased by roughly 14% through Sunday compared with the same period of time in 2021.
However, other serious crimes, including robbery, rape and felony assault, have spiked, citing police statistics.
Meanwhile, Hochul took aim at Zeldin for his position on abortion.
âYouâre the only person standing on this stage whose name right now â not years past â that right now, is on a bill called âLife Begins at Conception,ââ Hochul said.
Calling it a âfrightening spectacle,â Hochul added, âWomen need to know that thatâs on the ballot this November as well.â
Zeldin later said he heard âfrom a number of people who consider themselves to be pro-choice, who are not happy here that their tax dollars are being used to fund abortions, many, many, many states away.â
CNN noted the race appears to be tightening as Hochulâs lead has dropped to single digits in one survey.
In August 2021, Hochul took office as the first female governor of New York after former Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation.
âIâll tell New Yorkers Iâm up to the task. And Iâm really proud to be able to serve as their governor and I wonât let them down,â she said at the time.