Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin spent time in the Hudson Valley on Saturday. His rallies, like the one in Putnam County, were well attended. New York’s Republicans had grown stronger with an increasing chance of electing a Republican governor for the first time in 20 years. “So why are you bringing all these people to New York if this race isn’t as close as it really is?” Zeldin previously said of incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochsul’s appearances with Democratic politicians. Hotchul hit the road this weekend, too, reliably in some of the state’s blue strongholds. She was accompanied by heavy hitters like former President Bill Clinton as she tackled hot-button issues like the cash-out bailout. Hotchul also appeared to be gaining support from the LGBTQ+ community. “I’m not going for the Democratic MAGA vote. I’m going for the heart and soul of New York,” Hochul recently said on the campaign trail. He will be joined by President Joe Biden in Yonkers as it closes this weekend. Both parties are making the most of the few days left before Election Day. Hotchul was in Sunnyside, Queens on Saturday morning. As one of six campaign events this weekend, Hochul was supported by Mayor Eric Adams, Sen. Chuck Schumer and others at a unity rally. Zeldin kicked off this last weekend before the election with former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. Zeldin worked to sway undecided and Democratic voters. “We’re taking back our roads, we’re taking back our subways, we’re going to fire weak prosecutors who refuse to enforce the law, we’re going to support our men and women in law enforcement,” Zeldin said on the campaign trail. Crime has been a sticking point for Zeldin as the election approaches. He said he believes he is the best candidate to fight rising crime, something many New Yorkers worry about. “It’s so absurd to say you’re tough on crime but soft on guns. He thinks the answer is people on the subway carrying guns, teachers in classrooms with guns,” Hochul said of his views. Zeldin on crime. Hochul was in Brooklyn Friday morning for the annual Democratic Breakfast, greeting voters and taking selfies with them in front of the Barclays Center. Just Thursday night, Hochul held a large rally at Barnard College in Manhattan with a few other big names from the Democratic Party — Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “Fight for the ideals and the achievement of our nation’s ideals. That is what is at stake. And so we will fight! And when we fight we win!” Harris said. And with turnout key for Hochul, there’s perhaps only one other name that could perk up the ears of undecided voters: former President Barack Obama. Obama ran radio ads for Hochul during the last two weeks of the race. During an event Thursday morning, Eyewitness News asked Hochul what she would say to New York Democrats who are concerned about rising prices and crime. “Most voters understand that I’m a one-year governor,” Hochul said. “There are national trends going on and I’ve been in the trenches fighting for them.” The Hochul campaign is trying to energize the base and prevent a Republican-led Zeldin rally during the week in Rensselaer County. Despite his anti-abortion stance and close ties to Donald Trump, he polls in the single digits from the establishment’s laser focus on crime. “What’s so important here at home is that all of us do our best, take absolutely nothing for granted, campaign like we’re back no matter what,” Zeldin said. Zeldin told Fox News he believes Democrats will vote for him with his anti-crime message. “You have Democrats who feel like their party has let them down,” he said. “Some Democrats consider themselves conservatives. Some Democrats register because that’s what you do if you want your vote to count. “Someone who says they’re tough on crime but soft on guns is just trying to commit a scam,” Hochul said. Zeldin spoke in Manhattan’s West Village during the week where a joker was raped. RELATED: What You Need to Know About Voting in the Midterm Elections in New York, NY and CT Now Hochul is waging her own fight to become New York’s first elected female governor. “If you believe that we need common sense laws to protect our citizens from being killed on our roads, if you believe that we should continue to invest in our people, invest in education, your education, making sure you have a chance at the dream of New York we love, then you have to make sure I’m still governor on Wednesday,” Hotchul said. If Hochul loses, it would be a major upset in a state that Democrat Andrew Cuomo won by 24 points four years ago. Our partners at FiveThirtyEight show Hochul rose an average of 7 points. A big concern for Democrats is even if Hochul wins, if not by the wide margins they’re used to, candidates with tighter race votes could find themselves in a red wave — even in blue New York . ———-
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