On Monday, The New York Times reported that Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) and the state Democratic Party could face a serious challenge organizing Black voters if the disgraced former governor decides to take a crack at reclaiming his old office.
"Ms. Hochul could win the primary even with a muted showing from Black voters, but if they don’t turn out in November to support her, the race for governor could be tighter, and problems could emerge for other Democrats down the ballot," reported Jeffery Mays. "A Siena College poll released Monday found that if Ms. Hochul’s predecessor, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, entered the primary race, he would lead her among Black voters by 50 percent to 23 percent, although she leads him overall among registered Democrats by eight points, the poll found."
"But the poll found that if Mr. Cuomo stayed out, Ms. Hochul led a Black candidate, Jumaane Williams, the New York City public advocate, among Black voters by a margin of 39 percent to 17 percent — a reversal from a February Siena poll in which she trailed Mr. Williams," the report noted.
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Hochul, Cuomo's former lieutenant governor who ascended to the top spot after Cuomo resigned over sexual harassment allegations, is one of the only governors in the history of New York to hail from the western part of the state, meaning she doesn't have a lot of historical connections with New York City communities — where many of the minorities in the state live. Her aides say she is planning events to make inroads with these groups — although that is not the only concern in the state party.
"Democrats across the country are worried about an 'enthusiasm gap' and low turnout in the midterm elections, with no Donald J. Trump on the ballot and public safety emerging as a major issue," said the report. "Two Long Island hopefuls for governor, Representative Thomas Suozzi, a Democrat, and Representative Lee Zeldin, the leading Republican nominee, have focused on Democratic-supported bail reform as the cause of an uptick in violent crime, though there is no statistical evidence to support their contention." The reform in question, which allowed pretrial release for most misdemeanors and non-violent felonies, has not been associated with crime increases.
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