Is New York Shifting Red?

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), who’s running for governor of New York, predicted on Wednesday that Democrats will lose their supermajority in the state legislature during the midterm elections.

“I believe that New York, in many respects, is hitting a breaking point — people are fleeing every single day,” Zeldin told Just the News, Not Noise cohosts John Solomon and Amanda Head. “They feel like their wallet, their safety, their freedom, their kids’ education are under attack.”

Is it really possible? Is the Democratic Party starting to lose its grip on the Empire State? I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch, but Zeldin could be right. Last month, an internal poll conducted by John McLaughlin & Associates found Zeldin leading Hochul 45.5% to 44%, with the rest undecided. Zeldin’s lead was within the margin of error, suggesting that the race is a dead heat.

Related: New York Lt. Governor Arrested

“On top of winning the race for governor, it’s also important to be electing more people to the state Senate, the state assembly to break the supermajority that exists right now in the state capitol,” Zeldin said. “We have outsized power of self-described socialists — that supermajority will get broken this November, I’m confident of it.”

Zeldin called this coming election “a rescue mission to save our state,” and admitted that “in order to actually get that done, I’m not under any illusions that I’m going to be taking office in January with a Republican Legislature.”

“[Y]ou try to find common ground when it’s possible on issues where you can be able to work together with somebody,” he said. “You might disagree on other topics, but if you can work together on something that will move the state forward, I’m all for it.”

Zeldin believes Republicans have the advantage on issues that transcend partisan loyalty like COVID-19 restrictions, education, and crime.

“[T]here are independents, there are Democrats who don’t feel safe outside of their homes or in their subways,” Zeldin said. “As we see in New York, there are Democrats who believe that the quality of their son and daughter’s education is very much at stake, and they are connecting with the Republican message, with the conservative message on education more so than in the past.”