Siena Poll Shows Gov. Hochul Leading Zeldin, who Holds Small Edge in Suburbs and Upstate

By Yehudit Garmaise

Gov. Kathy Hochul emerged with a 14-point lead, in the latest Siena College poll, over Congressman Lee Zeldin, her Republican challenger who represents eastern Long Island in the US House of Representatives.

Gov. Hochul dominates in New York City, where she leads by nearly 50 points, while Zeldin barely edges her out by 3-points both upstate and in the downstate suburbs, pollster Steven Greenberg said about the survey that questioned 806 likely voters from July 24 to July 28.

For US Rep Zeldin to win, political experts say that the conservative candidate who serves as an officer in the US Army Reserves, would have to both win at least 30% of the vote in NYC, while also dramatically increasing his suburban and upstate support.

Mayor Eric Adams has endorsed Gov. Hochul and has said he “works well with her and agrees with her on most things,” however, last week, when the mayor joined Republican lawmakers to request that the governor call legislators back into session to give judges the power to consider the danger criminals pose to society before determining bail, the governor refused.

Hochul shot back that lawmakers had already changed the 2019 laws that banned cash bail in most cases, such as allowing judges to hold alleged repeat offenders in many cases.

“Significant changes to the bail laws were made,” Gov. Hochul said last week, however, the changes stop short of what Mayor Adams and Republican lawmakers want, which is for judges to decide to keep off the streets defendants that have histories of behavior that proves dangerous to others.

“My support for the mayor’s position is going to make a number of Democrats uncomfortable,” Zeldin said last week, as the NYPD reported the continuing dismal trend of increasing crime in the city: in July, a 40% jump in major crimes this year, compared to the same time last year. “It might even make the mayor uncomfortable because I’m in a different party.

“But…we have to make this city safe again.”